


Hedgehog's Best Friend

by thekyuubivixen



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Did I mention fluff?, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2019-12-29 22:25:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 51,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18303065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekyuubivixen/pseuds/thekyuubivixen
Summary: Pet hedgehogs were cute with their big beady eyes and their tiny scurrying paws. Sonic had one, and he was fond of the little guy because who wouldn't be? Silver was the perfect companion for the world's fastest hero. Well...until one day when Silver wasn't exactly a pet anymore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I've been on ff.net originally, but I figured that it was time to share my stories with AO3 too! This story already has a good handful of chapters on the other site, so updates here will be pretty quick until I catch up. I hope you enjoy this because Sonilver definitely needs some love!

A delicious smell wafted through the kitchen of a particular home, and Sonic had yet to encounter a better aroma in his life.

The azure hedgehog was whistling a quiet tune as he stood in front of his stove. He absently stirred the pot of chili in front of him, mentally counting down the minutes to when he could devour the deliciousness of his favorite food. The hot dogs were almost ready, and the chili was right behind them.

Sonic’s whistles died out when something bumped into his foot. He paused in his magic making to blink down at the ground, a snicker escaping his throat at what he saw.

Within a clear plastic ball, dark beady eyes were staring up at him.

“You hungry already, Silver?” Sonic asked his little buddy even though he knew he wouldn’t get a verbal answer. Dark eyes blinked up at him for a moment until Silver backed up and bumped the speedster’s shoe again. A smile curled Sonic’s lips. “I’ll take that as a yes. Well, bud, you’re gonna have to wait a bit.”

Now, normally Sonic would just feed the little guy whenever Silver wanted – who could say no to that _face_? – but Tails got onto him about it. Sonic didn’t believe Silver had gotten _fat_ per se, but a little chubby. Nothing had been wrong with that, but Tails adamant about putting Silv on a strict feeding schedule. Silver was down to his normal weight now, but the schedule was still in place and he couldn’t have his dinner for another hour.

When Silver nudged Sonic again, the azure hedgie figured that what Tails didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt him.

The speedster left his post at the stove, stepped over the adorable ball of silvery quills at his feet, and shuffled over to the gated opening of the kitchen. Sonic had wanted Silver to explore the house freely, but Tails had to research and lecture him about how not _all_ hedgehogs – big or small – liked to explore as much as the blue blur did.

Peering through the doorway, keen eyes scanned the adjacent living room before locking onto the occupied couch. Tails was napping, soft snores reaching Sonic’s ears. The kit didn’t look close to waking up, so…he should be in the clear.

With a mischievous smirk, Sonic zipped over to his refrigerator and pulled its door open. Bright emerald irises scanned the shelves until he found what he was looking for. He reached in, opened a transparent box, and pulled out a small strawberry. Silver loved these.

He barely managed to replace the box and close the fridge before there was another bump against his foot, a bit harder this time. Silver was aptly staring at the treat in his possession.

Sonic held up a finger to his lips as he squatted. “Let’s keep this a secret, ‘kay? Just between you and me.” Silver wasn’t even looking at his face, instead gazing at the fruit like it was a lifeline while sniffing the air.

Sonic chuckled, reaching down and rolling the ball until the circular door was facing upwards. He popped it open and gently dropped the strawberry inside. Securing the ball again, Sonic watched as Silver nibbled on the berry for a second, remembering the first time he’d learned about the hedgehog’s favorite food.

It was about four months ago after Sonic had bought the two-month-old pup from the pet store. Sonic had known that pet ‘hogs could eat cat food – thanks to the knowledge of a flabbergasted Tails. Sonic had bought Silver on a whim because he had seen the little guy in a window. Curious had gotten the best of him, and the rest was history – but he believed that _no_ living creature should eat the same boring stuff every day.

Sonic had experimented with crickets, veggies, various fruits, and Silver liked them all, but no treat gained Silv’s attention like a strawberry. It was like nothing else existed when the berry was in front of him. It was hilarious.

“That should hold ya until it’s time for you to eat!” Sonic chirped as he stood back up and checked on the food. It was done, and his stomached growled loudly in anticipation.

After turning the knobs off on the stove, his attention drifted down to Silver who had just finished the fruit. The small hedgie sniffed around for more.

“You won’t find any more in there!” Sonic bent down, opened the ball, and let Silver take a couple steps out of it. Then, the azure hero placed his hand on the floor, palm up. Silver sniffed his fingers – probably smelling the leftover strawberry scent – and started to nip the fabric of his glove.

Sonic rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know you’re probably mad.” He maneuvered his other hand around and guided Silver onto his palm. Sonic straightened up and held the other up to his face. “But Tails threatened to hide my shoes if he catches me feedin’ you off-the-clock, so yeah.”

While Silver continued to sniff his glove, Sonic carefully petted the top of the hedgie’s head with a careful finger. He went with the grain of Silver’s quills, feeling the little guy twitch somewhat under his touch. Sonic smiled at this, because he remembered first bringing Silver home and all the bundle of spines did was hiss at him and curl into a defensive ball.

Silver trusted him now, and he wished he could say the same with Tails, but…there wasn’t much luck in that department.

Sonic didn’t know what it was, but every time Tails would try to interact with Silv, he would hiss and curl up. Silver still did that to this day. Maybe…it was because Tails was technically a fox? A natural predator?

The speedster quietly hummed as he lowered Silver a bit, somewhat cradling him against his chest. “I’d be able to give you all the food you want if you’d just be nice to Tails,” he whispered to Silver, but the other was too busy snuggling into the warmth of Sonic’s body.

Sonic chuckled at the prickly feeling. It didn’t hurt; Silver’s spines were _nowhere_ as sharp as Sonic could make his.

After stepping over the gate that separated the kitchen and living room, Sonic padded over to the sizable glass aquarium tucked into the adjacent corner. He adjusted Silver in his hands before leaning over and letting the hedgie scurry onto the soft bedding lining the bottom of the container.

Silver shifted around a bit until he scampered around his food and water bowls, aiming for a toy by his igloo. He chewed on it, and Sonic figured that he would be just fine left alone for a while.

The azure hero then faced the second youngest of the household, watching as Tails drooled a bit on the pillow he was laying on. Sonic almost didn’t want to wake him up, for the kit had been at Vanilla’s house all day trying to fix their air conditioning. Tails was more of an inventor than a mechanic, so the fox was mentally exhausted when he came back home. He’d been there for hours.

Sonic was inclined to let him rest a bit more, but if he was hungry, Tails had to be too.

He trotted over and shook the fox’s shoulder. “Hey, Tails!” When blue eyes sleepily blinked open, Sonic bobbed his head toward the kitchen. “C’mon, dinner’s ready!”

“Really?’ Tails yawned, rubbing his eyes and squinting at a nearby window. “How long what I out?”

“’Bout an hour and a half.” Sonic gave him some space to stretch, grinning. “That air conditioner gave you some serious trouble, huh?”

Tails nodded, patting down his misplaced fur. “Yeah! For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out if the problem was the condenser or the evaporator coil, so I-”

Sonic help up a hand. “Tails, I know _nothing_ about ACs, so let’s just say that you fixed it and go chow down, yeah?”

Tails opened his mouth to reply, but his stomach did so for him. He covered it sheepishly. “Yeah, good call.”

Sonic burst out in laughter and walked back in the direction of the kitchen. Tails playfully shoved him from behind, and the hedgehog followed up by reaching around and giving his little bro a noogie.

Tails tried and failed to get himself free. “No fair! I just woke up!”

“You’re the one who asked for it!”

Sonic messed up the kit’s bangs some more, finally letting go upon entering the neighboring room. Tails didn’t bother to fix his fur again, the aroma smacking him in his nose making him focus on their dinner.

The kit was about to go over to fix his food – Sonic had already grabbed a plate and was going to town – but a plastic ball left open caught his attention. It normally wouldn’t have made him pause because Silver really enjoyed being in that thing, but there was something in it that made him frown up.

Tails approached the sphere and picked it up. Seeing bits of green leaves and tiny drops of red juice, he connected the dots easily enough.

“Sonic…” Said hedgehog’s ears perked at his name. Sonic finished drowning his hot dog in chili before peering over his shoulder, curious about the others accusatory tone. The speedster instantly saw the ball and its contents; he winced.

Tails raised the ball, disappointed. “What did I tell you, Sonic? You can’t just be feeding Silver willy-nilly!” While he wasn’t sure if the pup felt the same way, Tails cared for the little hedgie. Ever since Sonic brought him home – which had been the most surprised Tails had been in a _while_ – Tails had gotten somewhat attached. He couldn’t let Sonic think every living thing had the same metabolism as the speedy hero.

“It’s not willy-nilly!” Sonic defended himself. “I mean, he was hungry, and I gave him a strawberry! Where’s the harm in that? It was just a treat!”

“I know you though, Sonic.” Tails placed the ball back on the floor, making a mental note to clean it later. “It is just a treat if _only_ if you don’t give him one every hour!”

Sonic saw there the kit was coming from, but he still mumbled, “It was more like one every _two_ hours, but yeah. I gotcha.” The speedster moved out of the way so Tails could get his dinner. He strolled over to the table, and he sat down for only a second before static filled the air.

It was coming from the radio resting on the counter. Tails had rigged it to report any big disturbances – namely Eggman – that pop up.

The kit had whipped his head toward the device, staring in interest, while Sonic slumped in his chair. He looked longingly at his chili dogs. “Please be nothing serious, please be nothing serious…” he chanted, hoping for a rubbery that the local police surely would be able to handle.

_“Recently, there has been reports of robots targeting the center of Metal City. The mastermind usually behind it all, Dr. Eggman, is watching it all unfold-”_

“Welp, can’t be too surprised,” Sonic said as he hopped out of his chair.

Tails took a step forward, wondering what kind of scheme Eggman had in mind this time. “Do you want me to come with you?”

Sonic waved him off. It was nothing but robots. It was just an errand by this point. “Nah! I’m all good! It’s a little clean-up mission, that’s all!”

“If you’re sure…”

The hero grabbed both of his chili dogs. He was planning on taking these to-go, and he’d come back for the rest later. “Hundred percent, bro!” Sonic gestured to the stove. “You just focus on stopping that stomach of yours from rumblin’!” Sonic was more than ready to go save the day once more, but a thought came to him. “Oh, and feed Silver if I don’t get back on time!”

“Got it!” Tails exclaimed, and it wasn’t long before he heard the front door slam.

* * *

 

Of course Sonic wasn’t back in time, but Tails was hardly surprised. Also, he knew that there was no point in worrying because Sonic was Sonic; he’d be back eventually.

The radio hadn’t been reporting any bad news either, so that helped in keeping the kit’s nerves in check too.

Tails was presently sitting in front of Silver’s aquarium, chin propped up in his palm. Blue eyes were focused on the occupied igloo. “Come on, Silver…come out?” His words fell on deaf ears, for the hedgie stayed hidden in the shade. The kit spent the last couple of minutes trying to coax the little guy out, trying to get on his good side – like he’d been attempting to do for the last few months – but it was all for naught.

And what made it worse was that Tails knew the other was awake. He could hear those tiny feet shuffling.

The fox sighed before standing up to his feet. “Maybe you’ll come out if I fed you?” This plan hadn’t worked in the past, but the fox was hopeful. Somewhat.

Tails spun his namesakes and hovered into the kitchen, aiming for the pantry off to the side. He opened the narrow door and dropped his gaze to the bag of cat food resting on the floor. Picking it up, Tails knew that something was wrong when he nearly threw the bag into the air. He didn’t expect it to be this light.

Tails peered into the bag and his ears marginally drooped. It was empty except for one lone crumb. Sonic usually fed Silver, so Tails guessed that he totally forgot that they were out of food for him. The kit then searched for the small bag of mealworms, and he sighed when he found that it was on it’s last legs as well.

This _would_ happen when Tails was left in charge…

“Guess its time for a trip to the store,” Tails muttered to himself, putting both the cat food and the mealworm bags in the trash. The kit returned to the living room and sighed again when Silver scurried right back into his igloo. “I’m going to the store,” he announced to the hiding pup, “Uh, I’ll be back soon.”

He gave Silver one last look before exiting the home.

* * *

 

“I’m back!” Sonic called after flinging open the front door. When he didn’t get any response from Tails, he closed it behind him and tried again, “Tails? You in here?” He didn’t see the kit working in the garage, so he had to have gone somewhere.

Sonic hummed to himself, dusting off stray grains of dirt on his fur. The Eggman attack wasn’t anything special; the bots barely posed any threat, and no bystanders had gotten hurt. He didn’t even now _why_ Eggy planned the whole thing, but as always, the doctor’s disappointment made Sonic’s day.

The blue hero closed the door behind him before focusing on Silver, who was running in his wheel. Sonic bounded over and squatted in front of the hedgie. “Do you have any idea where Tails went, bud?”

Silver slowed down to a stop, noticing his presence. He stepped off the wheel and approached the glass of the aquarium, past the food bowl. The _empty_ food bowl.

Seeing this, a lightbulb switched on in Sonic’s mind. “Oh…” Yeah, he was supposed to restock after breakfast, but he’d _totally_ forgotten. Tails must be out getting some more food for the little guy. “Well, now I’m glad that I gave you that strawberry.” Sonic smiled before reaching into the container and guiding Silver into his palm. “Up we go!”

Cradling him carefully, Sonic went over to the couch and plopped down onto the cushions. He laid down and stretched out, placing Silver on his stomach. Sonic chuckled as he continued to pet the other. “Tails is gettin’ your food, so let’s just relax until he gets back, ‘kay?”

Silver simply sniffed around until he decided to rest against the hero’s chest. Sonic played with the dull quills, and it wasn’t long before Silver completely relaxed, eyes closing. The occasional high-pitched purr made Sonic quietly snicker.

However, the hedgie’s nap didn’t last long, for Tails waltzed in through the door with bags in his hands. Silver curled up and bristled his quills.

Sonic sat up a bit and grinned, trying to get the pup to relax with no avail. “Hey there, lil bro!” he addressed the kit, who sent him a somewhat flat look as he placed the bags by Silver’s home. “Don’t look at me like that, I totally forgot! How can I make it up to ya?”

Tails thought for a moment. “How about…you do the dishes for a week?”

“Whoa, that a little-”

“Thanks, Sonic! I really appreciate it!”

Sonic rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “I’m a _terrible_ role model for you!” He glanced down at Silver, who was slowly but surely unravelling. Sonic petted him between his ears. “You should hang out at Vanilla’s more often, then maybe you’ll let me off the hook for stuff more…”

“Not a chance!” Tails retorted with a cheeky smile. Sonic stuck his tongue out, and the fox laughed before opening the bag of cat food he got. “Oh, uh, the store was out of the brand we usually get, so I had to get another.”

Sonic was scratching under Silver’s chin now. “Cool. I doubt Silv will care because he’d eat anythin’.” The speedster sat up fully on the couch and carefully positioned Silver on his back, rubbing his stomach. “Won’t ya, bud?” The hedgie’s legs flailed a bit until he got used to his new position, enjoying the patting.

Tails saw the pair, and an idea came to mind. Instead of pouring the cat food into the designated bowl, he let a few crumbles settle into his hand. Sonic caught wind of what he was doing and doubled his efforts to keep Silver distracted.

The kit crept over to the couch and crouched low, going unnoticed so far. He was beside Sonic, and the hero bobbed his head at the pup, mouthing, “Go for it!”

Tails nodded, picking up a single piece of kibble with his fingers. His hand slowly got closer to Silver until it was right by the little guy’s head. It didn’t take long for that twitchy little nose to sniff it out.

Silver noticed the food first, but – unsurprisingly – he became a ball at the sight of Tails.

The fox slumped and was about to move away, but Sonic stopped him. “Just hold it out and see what he does!”

“But he’s not going to…” Tails started before conceding. It didn’t hurt to try. He continued to offer the food by the stubborn hedgie. Silver didn’t budge. Tails stayed put however, him and Sonic watching quietly, hoping for _some_ kind of response.

Nothing.

Tails sat there for a couple more minutes until he realized that today just wasn’t going to be the day. He handed the kibble over to Sonic, who threw him an apologetic smile. “It’s _going_ to happen, Tails! Sooner or later!”

“Most likely later…but I can’t blame him.” Tails went back over to the aquarium and filled Silver’s food bowl, adding a handful of mealworms to the cat food. “He’s just trying to protect himself! It’s ingrained in his genes.”

Sonic watched as Silver nibbled on the kibble in his palm, scoffing. “If it’s ingrained in his genes, it’s ingrained in mine too! And Tails, no offense, you’re as terrifying as a dandelion.”

“I can be scary!” Tails puffed out in his cheeks in a pout, and Sonic laughed. The fox then groaned, realizing that he wasn’t helping his own case.

“Once you show me proof, I’ll believe ya,” Sonic teased as Silver finished up. He cradled the hedgie and stood up, about to return Silver to the aquarium. It was time for Sonic to chow down on the rest of his dinner. “Or if you turn my week until three days, then I might admit – whoa!”

Sonic hadn’t gotten a chance to finish his sentence, for Silver began shaking in his hold. “Huh?” Sonic blinked down at the hedgie, and Tails looked on as well, concerned. “You alright there, little guy?” He held Silver away from his body, inspecting him.

However, before Sonic could get a good look, there was a sudden bright flash. The two brothers flinched at the light, and Sonic sucked in a surprised breath when he noticed that the hedgehog he was holding got a _whole_ lot heavier.

The light went away as fast as it came, and Sonic nearly had a heart attack at the bright golden eyes staring back at him.

“Gah!” Sonic shouted out in alarm, dropping Silver – no, that wasn’t Silver because Silver was small and round and everything this…this _stranger_ wasn’t – to the ground and taking hasty steps backwards.

Tails was right by Sonic’s side, mouth agape as the white-furred _anthro_ who came out of _nowhere_ lowly hissed upon impact with the floor.

The stranger laid still for a moment, his wide eyes focusing on Sonic. They were swirling with confusion and…hurt? Though, Sonic and Tails barely had time to wrap their brains around that before a question made them stiffen.

“Why…Why did you drop me? I…Did I do something wrong…?”

To say that the hedgehog/fox duo were surprised was an understatement, and it seemed like the newcomer was more shocked than those two put together.

The white one tensed up and brought a hand up to his mouth. He then patted his whole face with growing horror. His hands traveled back to his hanging fur – quills? – and down toward his torso. Finally, he held his violently shaking fingers up to his face, expression twisted in completely and utter _terror._

Sonic opened and closed his mouth a few times before forcing out, “Tails, what kind of food did you _get?_ ”

“...The cheap kind?”


	2. Chapter 2

They weren’t hiding.

No, they had made a tactical retreat to discuss the _insanity_ that was in the other room.

“That food apparently wasn’t just _cheap_ , Tails!” Sonic was currently in the kitchen, loudly whispering to his little brother. They had hid – _retreated_ – out of the living room as soon as possible after seeing their pet hedgehog turn into something completely _not_ pet-like. “It _had_ to be tainted with something to make-” Sonic violently gestured to where they had come from.

Tails was heavily leaning on the kitchen counter, ears folded back as his mind whirled. “I…I don’t know what happened!” he whisper-shouted back, just as bewildered as the blue hedgehog. “It was regular cat food, and…” The kit glanced at the wall separating them from the stranger, nibbling his bottom lip. “This is crazy!”

“You’re tellin’ me!” Sonic raked his fingers though his hanging quills, releasing a puff of air. He was all for spontaneity and surprises spicing up his life, but this was a bit too much. “What do we do?” His voice lowering even more with that question.

“I’m the _last_ person to ask, but…um.” Yellow furred ears perked at the barely audible sniff that emitted from the neighboring space. Tails’ lips twitched downwards at that, feeling a little bad. “Maybe we should…check on him? He seems really scared, which is understandable considering…”

Now that his shock had subsided somewhat, Sonic had enough room for empathy to wiggle in. If the person out there was really _Silver_ – he knew that all signs pointed to yes, it was, but deep down, Sonic wanted it to be some random person who had randomly teleported because _that_ was less crazy than what was actually happening – then he had miraculously transformed. Sonic knew all about baffling transformations, having flashbacks of stretchy arms and sharp teeth.

Emerald eyes drifted over to the threshold as Sonic made a decision. “Alright…” He nodded, bracing himself for the madness right outside this room. “I’ll go see what’s up.” The hedgehog made a move to leave the kitchen, but then he paused, pointing at a conflicted Tails. “Because it’s uh, Silver, you should hang back for a bit.”

Tails understood completely. “Yeah, I hear you.” Silver was already frightened, so his presence wouldn’t do anyone any favors.

Sonic nodded again before creeping toward the exit of the kitchen, honing onto the sniffling that was marginally getting louder. The hedgehog peered out into the living room, and his attention snapped to the white hedgie on the ground.

Silver hadn’t moved from where Sonic had dropped him. He was curled into the tightest ball he could manage on his side, tense arms covering a face that Sonic could guess was twisted in fright. He was shaking so much that his white quills – both the ones hanging down his back and the shorter ones adorning his forehead – were trembling as well.

Sonic knew that he had to be careful. He didn’t know how Silver was thinking or how he was going to react. Usually when scared in the past, Silver would just curl up and relax when he was ready. Most of the time, Sonic sped that process up by talking to and petting him.

The blue speedster figured that petting wasn’t the best option _now_ , so talking would have to do.

Sonic slowly stepped into the den, testing out the waters. “Hey…” he started softly. However, that gained no response. Sonic tried again, taking another step closer to the white hedgie. “Silver?” If there was any doubt that this was Silver, it was all blown away when flattened ears twitched, hesitantly rotating in the direction Sonic was.

Sonic exhaled heavily. Yeah, that was no ordinary cat food.

The azure hero kept his movements slow and deliberate to not scare the other. He was closing the distance, feeling eyes on him. Sonic glanced over his shoulder to find Tails peeking in. Sonic gestured for him to hide, but the kit only shuffled a bit to the side, too curious about the situation.

Sonic figured that it would be alright if he situated himself so Tails couldn’t be seen. He refocused on Silver, taking a couple more steps before opting to kneel. He was a little more than an arm’s length away from the other, hearing low whimpers now.

“Hey, buddy, it’s okay.” Sonic quietly comforted, watching for any response. Those ears were still perked, but nothing else changed. “Look, I know this is a bit overwhelmin’, but-” Sonic stopped himself then, a thought coming to him. Could Silver even comprehend what he was saying? He did speak earlier… “-Can you understand me, Silv?”

Nothing but silence reined after his question. Silver was still trembling, curled into himself, but his sniffs and whimpers had stopped. Sonic observed the other for a while, empathy blossoming into something stronger in his chest as the sight of someone so lost and scared. As a hero, he fought for smiles and happiness.

Sonic opened his mouth to speak again – saying _what_ exactly, he didn’t know – but Silver beat him to the punch. “Yes…” Sonic blinked at the other in surprise, the raspy voice quivering as much as the owner’s frame.

Well, that made things slightly easier.

Sonic’s expression relaxed even though more and more questions filled his head. “Well, that’s good! You can hear me say that you’re safe. I’m here, and you know that I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you, right?”

One of Silver’s pale arms shifted to the side, revealing a glossy golden eye. It was swirling with doubt and hesitation. Sonic shuffled a couple inches closer, deeming the other more a ‘cower in fear’ type rather than the ‘lash out in fear’ type.

Sonic threw him a welcoming smile. “C’mon, it’s me, Silv! We’ll work things out together, okay?” He held out a hand, the golden gaze snapped down to follow the movement. “Let’s get you off the floor, yeah?” That was a good first step as any.

Silver’s attention shifted to Sonic’s friendly expression and back to the awaiting hand. The blue hedgehog waited patiently as Silver simply stared. Then, the white hedgie gradually uncurled, uncovering the rest of his cautious face and using one arm to prop himself up.

Silver glanced down to his own ungloved hand before reaching out for Sonic’s. His movements were jerky until his fingers were hovering over Sonic’s own. However, instead of taking it like the azure hedgie thought, Silver gently grasped his wrist with shaky hand.

Sonic almost instinctively pulled his arm back, the action totally expected, but he fought the urge, curious about what the other was doing. Silver twisted his hand up – looking an interesting combination of cautious and curious – before splaying his pale fingers out against Sonic’s.

Silver’s expression morphed into muted awe at how similar the two hands were, and Sonic was glad that he had stopped trembling. And having Silver no look scared for his life was a plus, too.

Sonic chuckled, and Silver’s attention was on him again. All traces of hesitance were gone now, replaced with interest. “Yep! As you can see, we’re the same now!”

“But…” Silver paused at his own voice, obviously not used to it. “How?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Sonic shrugged good-naturally before leaning on his heels, gaining a good hold on Silver’s wrist. “We’ll think on it, but first…” He began to stand up and pull the white hedgie to his feet.

Silver yelped at the sudden motion, ears flattening as worry flashed across his features. “W-Wait! I…” He glanced down at his legs. “I don’t know how to walk like…like you.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine!” Sonic said truthfully. If transforming had gained Silver the ability to talk and understand Mobian language, then it was safe bet that he knew how to stand on two feet.  “You’ve always trusted me before, what’s with the doubt now?”

Silver opened his mouth, but then he closed it. Instead, those bright yellows looked at Sonic, really _looked_ at him, and Sonic didn’t know what to make of the intense stare.

The white hedgehog eventually nodded, and Sonic interpreted that as a go ahead.

Sonic swiftly stood up, bringing Silver with him. He remained steady as Silver stumbled forward a bit, nearly colliding with the speedster. It was then that Sonic noticed that the other had a plume of thick fur on his chest, long enough to reach his shoulders. It looked pretty soft, and Sonic was a bit jealous because now _every_ male hedgehog he knew had chest hair. It wasn’t fair, really.

However, his musings were put on hold when Silv caught himself, gazing down at his completely upright body like it was an amazing miracle. In a way, it was.

“See? Nothin’ to worry about!” Sonic grinned, and he felt accomplished when the ends of Silver’s lips twitched upwards as well. The hero then guided Silver to the couch, his hand still around the pale wrist. “Can you wait here while I check on somethin’ in the kitchen?” He wanted to get Tails’ opinion on all of this.

Silver eyed the sofa. “Yeah, okay…” He seemed thoughtful for a moment – no doubt remembering how Sonic usually sat down – before lowering himself on the piece of furniture. He was grabbing Sonic’s hand now like his legs would inexplicably give out on him at any second.

They didn’t, and Silver marginally relaxed against the soft cushions, squeezing them with his free fingers.

“You don’t have to worry about your new body!” Sonic snickered, golden irises focusing on him at the sound. “I can guarantee that it’s stronger than your old one!” He attempted to shake out of the other’s grip. “Now, just wait a sec until I-”

Sonic trailed off when the hold on him slightly tightened. He rose a confused brow at Silver, but the white hedgie was only focused on their contact. Sonic was about to educate the other on the existence of gloves, but all thoughts screeched to a halt when Silver lifted their hands and placed Sonic’s on top of the quills on his head.

Sonic didn’t know what to say or do when Silver’s arms dropped to his sides, leaving Sonic’s hand between his white furred ears. The azure hedgehog was frozen. He glanced over to the entrance of the kitchen, finding Tails watching with wide eyes. They locked gazes, and the fox oh so helpfully shrugged.

The hero snapped his gaze back forward when Silver closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

Okay, Sonic _maybe_ had an idea of what Silver wanted from him now.

And it just made things weirder.

Petting Silver when he was a cute little ball of quills was one thing but petting him _now_ was a whole different thing altogether. And plus, when he was small, Silver never asked – in his own way – for this kind of contact. Sonic was the one to initiate it whenever he felt like it or when Silver was distressed about something…oh.

That’s what it was. Silver was still distraught about this whole thing even though it didn’t look like he was anymore. Silver wanted comfort in a way he was used to.

And Sonic was a hero. This was his job…technically, so…

He experimentally moved his fingers, reluctantly burying them into the bundle of quills there. Silver pushed against his hand more, breathily exhaling. Sonic responded by massaging his scalp with gentle strokes. White ears lowered at the feeling, and all tension left Silver’s body.

Despite how bizarre this was, Sonic didn’t feel as weirded out as he probably should’ve. He didn’t know what it was. It was probably because this was still _Silver_ , who he’d known for…wait. Was…Was he _purring_ now?

A low quiet rumble emitted from Silver’s chest, and again, Sonic should be totally put off by the fact he was causing this, but the purr didn’t sound all that bad…

That was when Sonic pulled back his hand, _now_ feeling a bit strange. Silver reopened his eyes at the loss of contact, questionably looking up at him.

Sonic managed a smile, brushing off…whatever that was. “I hope you’re feelin’ better now?”

The ghost of a smile grew on Silver’s muzzle. “Yeah…uh…” It waned as he absently fluffed his chest hair. “I do, but it’s gonna take a while before I get used to this…” Silver’s brow creased, a frown marring his face. “Do think that I’ll turn back?”

Sonic scratched the back of his neck. It this point, he had no idea. “I dunno. Do you want to?”

“I…” Silver took in his surroundings before golds locked onto emeralds once more. “I like talking to you and actually _understanding_ all of what you’re saying.” Sonic stifled a chuckle at that, Silver cracking a grin as well. “So I guess that’s a not really…”

Sonic could get behind that reasoning. “I hear ya! And with you in that form, I won’t have to worry about steppin’ on you!”

This was the first time Sonic got an honest smile out of Silver, and it was time to get to the kitchen because that strange feeling was back and-

“Stay put, ‘kay?” Sonic forced out, causing the white hedgie to tilt his head a bit. “I’ll be back!”

Sonic zipped away, rushing into the kitchen just as Tails backed away from the doorframe. The hedgehog took a deep breath as he rose a brow at the kit. “So…that happened,” he whispered. “Thoughts?”

Tails was still processing the whole situation. Silver was comprehending speech, walking, and basically acting like he’d been one of them all his life when that certainly wasn’t the case. Well, that whole petting thing was out there, but that could be overlooked for what was important:

What exactly caused this? There was either something off about Silver, or something off about the food he’d bought.

Tails would bet all he had on the latter, for he doubted it was the pup Sonic had bought a handful of months ago at a regular pet store.

“This is a situation alright…” Tails hummed, tapping his chin. “Silver seems put together, like, we don’t have worry about him biting us or anything. Or at least you.” He added jokingly while Sonic pursed his lips at that. “So, you think that you’ll be able to keep an eye on him while I scan the cat food for it’s contents?”

Sonic nodded, thinking that it should be easy enough. “That’s a good idea, Tails, and of course I’ll be able to! It’s not exactly _new_ to me, y’know.” Tails threw him an ‘you know what I mean’ look, and Sonic grinned. The blue speedster then clasped a hand on Tails’ shoulder, making him furrow his brow. “Yeah, I’ll look after him _after_ you two become friends.”

Tails got a sinking feeling in his gut as he was guided toward the living room. “I don’t think this is a good idea, Sonic! He’s not going to start liking me just because-”

“Yeah, he will!” Sonic argued. Silver could now understand that Tails was _anything_ but a threat. “Because he can understand us, he’ll soon learn that you’re not dangerous at all!”

Tails was a second away from drilling into Sonic that he _was_ dangerous when he wanted to be, but his words died in his throat when his gaze fell upon an empty couch.

Sonic saw this as well, and his breath hitched – he literally had _one_ job, and he already blew it – but he soon relaxed when he found Silver sitting by his aquarium. They watched as Silver rummaged in the glass container, pulling out the tiny chew toy he loved.

He squeezed it between his forefinger and thumb, sighing out, “Forget what I said before, this is just depressing…”

“Don’t be too down, Silv!” Sonic spoke up. Silver’s ears twitched as he glanced back their way. “I promise you won’t be missin’ it for too long!”

Sonic had expected some kind of response because other was used to the sound of his own voice, but all he received was silence. In fact, Silver wasn’t focused on him at all anymore. Those golds were staring at Tails, unwavering.

“Sonic,” Silver started, dropping his toy and bristling his quills. He would look intimidating if he didn’t look like he was about to run for his life. “Get away from him before he eats your face off.”

Tails honestly hadn’t been expecting anything different. “Told you so,” he muttered to Sonic.

Sonic acted like he hadn’t heard. “Silver, he hasn’t before, so why would he now?”

“He’s been waiting for the right time!” The answer was immediate, rushed out.

“Trust me, he _won’t_ , Silver.”

“He’s a _p-predator_.” Silver’s eyes flickered over to Sonic like _he_ was uncooperative one. “Yes, he will!”

“And where did you learn that?”

The white hedgehog was suddenly lost, a pensive expression on his face. “Um…”

Sonic smugly smirked, glad to have pointed out a major flaw in Silver’s thinking. “Exactly.” Even though he’d been stumped, Silver still hadn’t let his guard down. His quills were standing on end, and he was as stiff as a board.

“Sonic…” Tails knew that this was a bad idea. “We can just do this another time-”

“No, we’re going to make _some_ kind of progress day,” Sonic interrupted him. He gestured for Tails to say where he was before approaching Silver. “Look, bud. You’ve know Tails for months now, so I don’t know why-”

The rest of Sonic’s sentence was lost when Silver scampered up and wrapped his arms around him. The hero’s tongue failed him at the sudden warmth, Silver burrowing his face in the crook of his neck. Sonic placed his hands to the white one’s shoulders to separate them, but he paused when he felt Silver’s trembles start back up.

Was Silver really _this_ scared of Tails?

“I…I know that you like him…” Silver stuttered against him, his arms tightening around his sides. “But I…just _can’t_ and…” Sonic was speechless as Silver nuzzled him more. “P-Please don’t make me go near him…” That was a borderline whine, and Sonic felt guilty even though he didn’t even _do_ anything.

Without thinking, Sonic carefully intertwined his fingers in Silver’s quills once more. His finger pads moved in soothing circles because it was _Silver_ and he needed this. Plus, he didn’t think the other would ever let go until he was calmed down.

“Hey, I’m sorry, okay?” Sonic apologized as he glanced over his shoulder, sensing movement. Tails had made it over to the bag of cat food, his concerned and contrite gaze on Silver. Sonic mouthed, “He’ll come around eventually.” He didn’t expect the prey mentality to be so deeply _embedded._

“I know,” Tails mouthed back, clearly still fretting. He bobbed his head in the direction of their garage before briefly waving. Twirling his namesakes, Tails hovered out of sight.

Sonic kept massaging when Tails left, causing Silver’s quills to slowly but surely slackened. His quivering subsided as well. “Uh, he’s gone,” Sonic said somewhat awkwardly, feeling Silver relax more against him. His arms weren’t as tight around the speedster’s torso, so Sonic reached behind himself and peeled them away.

Silver didn’t put up a fight as Sonic ceased contact, him taking a step back while holding pale wrists up. Expressive golden eyes were darting back and forth, searching.

“You good now?” Sonic asked, dropping Silver’s arms and waiting for them to reach out again. They didn’t.

The white hedgehog exhaled heavily with a minuscule nod. “Sorry…”

“Nah, it’s uh…” Sonic cleared his throat, wishing that the warmth didn’t linger like it was. “It’s fine.”

There was an awkward silence with Silver looking at him, and with Sonic looking everywhere else.

…Until a guttural rumble filled the air.

Silver frowned up and placed a hand over his stomach, baffled by the noise. Sonic grinned at this. He could forget about what just happened and focus on one of his favorite things in life.

“That was your stomach, Silv. You’re hungry,” Sonic informed before turning and padding back toward the kitchen. “Time to be introduced to the greatest food in the world!”

“Strawberries?”

“I’m gonna pretend that I didn’t hear that.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Oh…it’s this stuff.”

Sonic huffed, vaguely insulted, as he sat down at the kitchen table beside Silver. The speedster placed a plate of chili dogs both in front of him and the white hedgie. “’This stuff’ as in the _best_ food in the world!” Sonic picked up one of the ‘dogs and took a big bite, humming in satisfaction. “Like seriously. Try it, and your mind will change so fast that it’d leave your head spinnin’.”

Silver still didn’t look that impressed with the food option in front of him, but his eyes were inquisitive nonetheless as he watched Sonic chew. Sonic was about to gesture for Silver to start eating – because being stared at felt a little weird – but the other turned his attention to his plate before he could do so.

Silver sniffed the air above the chili dogs and scrunched up his nose. However, he still went to grab the food item, glancing over at Sonic’s hand to make sure he was doing it right.

His unsure fingers cradled the bun, avoiding any dripping chili. Silver brought it up to his mouth, hesitated a moment, and then imitated the big bite Sonic just took.

Silver delicately chewed until his expression brightened, looking at the chili dog like it was a long-lost treasure.

Sonic chuckled, nodding as he finished his first one. “See? What did I tell ya?” He knew the other would come around. Everyone did – mostly.

“I see why you eat this so much!” Silver exclaimed after swallowing, golden eyes sparkling in wonder. “It’s _way_ better than cat food!”

_Many_ things were better than cat food, and Silver was going to learn that the best way. “Is it better than strawberries?” Sonic asked.

Silver gave him an ‘are you crazy?’ look. “It’s good, but don’t get ahead of yourself,” he said with a mocking grin.

Sonic rolled his eyes but didn’t argue further. Couldn’t win them all.

Silver took a second bite and hummed at the sensation, it sounding more like a content purr than anything. Sonic paused in raising his chili dog at the sound, that strange feeling coming back. Emerald irises were fixated on Silver as he closed his eyes in bliss, tongue darting out to catch any chili that hadn’t made it into his mouth.

The speedster abruptly stood up, swiftly finishing up his second ‘dog. He felt Silver’s questioning gaze on him, and Sonic bobbed his head in the direction of the garage. “I’m gonna check on Tails! See how he’s doin’ with the food, y’know?”

All happiness fled Silver’s expression, and Sonic very quickly learned that he looked better with a smile.

“Do you have to?” The white hedgehog’s tone was soft and wary, his grip on his chili dog somewhat tense with his ears folded against his head.

Sonic sighed, wondering how he was going to get it through the other’s head. “Silver, Imma tell you this one more time. Tails is _not_ bad, okay? You’ve been here for _months_ , and he hasn’t done _one_ bad thing to you!”

“He…” Silver started before trailing off, and Sonic gave him a pointed look, this proving his argument. Silver seemed to come up with something though, a small frown on his muzzle. “You fed me more until he started yelling at you about it.”

Sonic groaned. “That doesn’t count. That was actually him doing something _good_ for you.” Silver shot him a disbelieving stare, and Sonic continued, stifling a rebellious snicker, “I know it didn’t seem like it, it was a good thing.”

When Silver didn’t say anything else, taking another bite of his dinner with less vigor than before, Sonic reached over and ruffled his forehead quills. “I’ll come back in one piece, promise!”

“You better…” Silver slightly relaxed at the touch. “Because I won’t be able to jump in there to save you if he decides to go on the attack.”

Sonic pulled his hand away with a scoff. “Stop worryin’ so much, Silv. The ‘dogs will taste better.” He heard a low whine as he approached the garage, but he didn’t respond to it. Silver would learn sooner or later – hopefully sooner.

The blue hedgehog opened the door connecting the garage and the kitchen, his gaze sweeping over the gadgets and gizmos laying around until he saw Tails sitting at his computer in the far corner.

“Heya, bud!” Sonic greeted with a wave as he jogged over, avoiding any breakable knickknacks. “How’s it going in here?”

Tails smiled over his shoulder at the speedster’s approach. “It’s taking its time, but we’re getting progress!” He glanced at a test tube with a small bit of cat food and then at a swiftly filling progress bar on the top right corner of the screen. It was halfway full.

“That’s good to hear!” Sonic stepped up to the fox’s side, picking up the discarded bag of cat food. “I still can’t believe that _this_ caused Silver to transform. Seriously, who would’ve thought?”

Tails chuckled, scratching his cheek. “Not me, that’s for sure.” The kit’s mind went to the white hedgehog Sonic had left in the other room, his smile waning some. “Speaking of Silver, how’s he doing?”

“Just dandy!” Sonic dropped the bag back on the floor, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ve introduced him to chili dogs, and he _loves_ them.”

Tails snickered, picturing the hedgehog chowing down. “I’m not surprised! They _are_ pretty good, especially the ones you make.” Sonic grinned; heck yeah they were. Tails sent a thoughtful glance in the direction the speedster came from. “Though…we have to be careful with what we give him. We don’t know what his stomach can take or what he’s allergic to.”

Sonic smirked. It looked like Tails was still going to be a mother hen whether Silver was tiny or not. “We’ll keep a sharp eye on ‘im, don’t worry!” Tails nodded at him, his pensive expression not fading, and Sonic moved on to more important topics. “What I _am_ worried about is how we’re gonna get Silv to warm up to you.”

Tails sighed, that question plaguing him too. “I have no idea… I can just hope he’ll get used to me being around all the time.”

Sonic waved that idea off. “That won’t work! I mean, it _will_ , but that’ll take way too long! You’ve helped care for him as much as I did! It’s not fair to you.”

Tails gave him a small smile. “I don’t mind, really. I know it’s because of his instincts and-” The fox trailed off when a lightbulb mentally lit up, making Sonic raise a brow at him. A cunning grin grew on Tails’ muzzle, his namesakes swishing back and forth behind him. “I know _exactly_ how to get Silver to like me!”

Sonic brightened at that. “How?”

“You’ll see!” Tails chirped as he refocused on the screen, this new plan lifting his mood. “After I do this scan, I might have to take a trip to the city.”

Sonic groaned. “Oh, come on, Tails! You can’t just keep me hangin’ like that!”

“The surprise will be better this way!” The kit’s gaze was sparkling with mischief as a beep emitted from the computer. A tab popped up, and Tails scanned it while Sonic resisted the urge to pout. Sure, surprises were called _surprises_ for a reason, but it wasn’t even for him! It was for Silver, so why couldn’t he enjoy the ingeniousness of it?

“Well…” Tails leaned back in his chair, using his mouse to scroll up and down the new window. “There’s nothing that sticks out to me here. It’s all normal stuff that goes into cat food.”

Sonic frowned up a little at that. “Ugh, really? So, we’re back to square one?”

“Hm…let me see.” Tails’ fingers flew over the keyboard, typing something in a search engine. “I’m going to search the brand name and see if we can get anything from that.” He pressed the enter key, and the first website that showed up was a news article.

Its heading was: **Purrly Fantastic brand cat food has been recalled.**

“Wow.” Sonic nudged Tails and teased, “Out of _all_ of the brands you could’ve picked.”

Tails rolled his eyes. “Who forgot to restock after breakfast?”

“…Just read the article.”

The kit giggled before doing so, musing aloud, “It says that the only reason it has been recalled was because it somehow bypassed inspection before being put on the shelves. Looks like it was only sold in Station Square…”

“So nothin’ about uh…pets transforming or anything?” Sonic asked.

“No, but there’s something interesting.” Tails pointed at the screen. “The new company who made the brand mysteriously shut down as soon as the products hit the shelves.”

Sonic furrowed his brow. “Wait, did they know they were gonna get caught? But why send ‘em out anyway?”

Tails tapped his chin in thought. “I’ve got no clue…” The fox pushed away from the computer and hopped to his feet. “But I’ll research more about it later, _after_ my surprise.”

Sonic snorted. “It better be a good one, lil bro, since you’re hyping it up so much!”

“Trust me, it is!” Tails beamed at him before going over and pressing a button on the nearby wall to open the garage door. It revealed the Tornado sitting pretty in the front yard. “Now, go back in there with Silver because I’m sure he’s feeling really antsy about you being with me. And don’t go outside until I give you the clear, okay?”

Sonic grinned and gave the kit a thumbs up. “I hear ya, Tails! Just hurry and go! You know how much I don’t like to be kept waiting!”

Tails shook his head in jest. “After these many years of being friends with you? It’s common knowledge at this point _._ ” The fox waved energetically as he hovered over to his aircraft. Sonic returned the gesture, watching Tails start up the plane and take off. He had _no_ idea what the kit had in mind, but he hoped that it worked – and was very entertaining in the process.

Sonic chuckled to himself as he turned on his heel and made his way back to the kitchen. As soon as he opened the door, Silver perked up in his seat, visibly relieved that Sonic was in one piece, as he promised.

The blue hero spun in place for a moment, gesturing to himself. “See any injuries?”

Silver – holding half of his last chili dog – examined him before reluctantly answering, “No, but-”

“No buts!” Sonic interrupted him, wagging his finger. “We just had a nice conversation _without_ any bloodshed. Is that so hard to believe?”

“Very,” was the immediate reply. Silver threw a cautious look in the direction of the garage, but he was clearly happy that Sonic was back to stay. The white hedgehog went to take a bite; however, gravity wasn’t on his side, for a big glop of chili fell right into his chest fur.

Sonic laughed as Silver gazed down in shock. “Don’t worry about it, bud! It happens sometimes!”

“How come you don’t get messy while eating this?” Silver inquired, disgust twisting his features. Sonic completely understood. Chili was best consumed, not worn.

“I’ve had years of practice!” Sonic strolled over, retrieved a paper towel, and handed it to the white hedgie before Silver tried to get the food off with his fingers. “Here you go! Makes me wonder if I need to get ya a bib.”

“Very funny,” Silver muttered as he finished off his chili dog with no other accidents, blinking at the napkin. His lips twitched downwards before he refocused on his stain, awkwardly patting the mess.

Sonic rolled his eyes as he sat back down in his chair, taking the paper towel from him. “Keep doin’ it like that, and you _might_ get it all out in a week.” The speedster snickered when the other huffed, letting Sonic clean his _really_ soft chest hair. Sonic couldn’t exactly feel the texture through his gloves, but the little resistance and pliability was a good indicator.

It wasn’t until a couple minutes passed when Sonic realized that Silver had been clean for a while now, and he had been simply kneading the other’s fur. The speedster froze for a split second, his emerald irises snapping up only to meet content and fond golds. Silver obviously liked the attention while it made Sonic hastily look away, hoping the sudden warmth in his cheeks wasn’t visible.

Regaining control of himself, Sonic smiled at him as he leaned away, tossing the dirtied napkin in the trashcan. “You’re all good, Silv! And now, hopefully you’ll know what to do if it happens again!”

“Thanks!” Silver send him an appreciative look before twirling his fingers in his chest fur. “It’s so long…do you think food won’t get caught in it if it was shorter?”

Sonic pictured it and immediately ousted that image. Long fur suited him better. “Nah! Food’s still gonna fall in it, whether it’s short or not.” When Silver absently nodded at that, Sonic’s mind whirled as it thought of something to do until Tails got back. The speedster glanced over to the fridge and smirked.

He got up and yanked the refrigerator’s door open, reaching for a certain container. “Now that we’ve had our dinner, it’s time for dessert!” He turned around, and Silver brightened with his ears alert and eyes glistening.

Sonic couldn’t help but to think that he looked adora – er – _funny_ like that. Silver’s apt gaze didn’t leave the container as the blue hero sat back down, and Sonic swore that he saw the other’s tail twitching.

“Yeah, you’re definitely Silver alright!” The speedster opened the container, using his pointer finger and thumb to grab one of the red berries. He held it out for Silver to take. “It never fails that these get you so-” Sonic’s words caught in his throat when the white hedgie leaned forward plucked the fruit from the hero’s hold with his mouth, lips brushing against fingertips.

Silver practically melted in his chair as he chewed, his deep purr filling the air once more. “They’re smaller in this form, but…” The white hedgie swallowed with a smile. “They taste _so_ much sweeter!”

“Yeah, uh…” Sonic looked down at his fingers, trying to glue the pieces of his brain back together. It wasn’t working too well because Silver just did _that_ and he didn’t hate it and _what was happening?_ “Yeah…”

Silver’s brow creased, his smile somewhat slipping. “Sonic? Are you okay?”

“I’m…” Sonic suddenly came back online, blinking and grinning reassuringly at the other. “I’m fine, Silv! I was just…thinkin’ about something, but it’s nothing important!” Sonic peered at the container before taking another strawberry, mentally blocking out what happened in the last thirty seconds. “Open your mouth!”

When Silver did so and began to lean forward again, Sonic was quick to stop him. “Don’t grab it!” Sonic’s grin was a little twitchy. “Just sit straight, and I’ll toss it into your mouth!”

“Oh uh…okay!” Silver parted his lips, and Sonic closed one eye so he could aim correctly. Thinking that he was right on target, the speedster tossed the berry with a high enough arc so that it fell cleanly into Silver’s awaiting mouth.

Silver seemed surprised that he actually caught it before chuckling, enjoying the treat. “And to think, I thought there was gonna be another mess to clean up.”

Sonic scoffed. “You’ll learn soon enough to never doubt me, Silv! My strawberry throwing is the _best._ ”

Silver scoffed as well. “You’ve done this before?”

“Nope!” Sonic chirped, finding it interesting how quickly things settled back to normal around Silver, how the awkward things the guy did didn’t… _faze_ Sonic that much, or at least, for a long period of time. It was weird, but he wasn’t going to dwell on it. Instead, he held up another berry with a smirk. “But how hard could it be, right?”

They both laughed before Sonic tossed it again. Silver had to sway to the left a bit, but he caught the fruit anyway. “Little sloppy there,” the white hedgie lightly taunted around the sweetness.

Sonic palmed another, tone just as mocking. “Coming from you, Mr. I-Missed-My-Own-Mouth?” It was nice to see Silver’s personality shining through, that meant he was getting comfortable. Sonic aimed as Silver playfully glared at him. The speedster let the fruit fly, and as soon as it left his fingers, he realized that he put a bit too much power behind it.

It bypassed Silver’s head, but the white hedgehog was persistent. His eyes were on the prize, and that caused him to lean back way too far, quickly losing his balance.

Sonic instantly reached out his free hand to grab anything; however, there was nothing but air as Silver hit the floor hard.

A pained hiss reached Sonic’s ears, and he was instantly out of his seat, strawberries forgotten on the table. “Silver!” He went over and squatted by the white hedgie, who was bent over on his knees now, cradling the back of his head. “You alright, bud?”

There was a low whimper as Silver shook his head, eyes screwed shut. A pang of guilt sparked within Sonic as he scooted closer. “Sorry, Silv! I overshot it!” He was then surprised when Silver wrapped his arms around him, bringing him even closer.

Sonic watched with bated breath as the white hedgie nuzzled his stomach, whining, “It hurts…”

The speedster exhaled at the warmth, hands burying themselves in Silver’s quills without being asked to. “Yeah, I know. It’ll stop in a bit, ‘kay?” Silv just whimpered again, ears flattening. Sonic went to scratch behind them, and a rumbling purr replaced the pained sounds. Well, at least Sonic knew that Silver was already getting better.

The strange feeling was back though, and Sonic was conflicted on whether to end this or not. On one hand, all of the noises, touches, and looks were natural for Silver, but on the _other,_ Sonic was totally out of his element here. But it didn’t feel _bad_ though, just weird.

The pet hedgehog he’d grown to adore was now a _Mobian_ hedgehog, his mannerisms from before the transformation unchanging. So, Sonic shouldn’t act any different, right? To not confuse Silver too much while he adjusted? Sonic would just have to endure…whatever this was until Silver learned that eating out someone else’s hand wasn’t normal in a friendship, _especially_ one that started barely an hour ago.

“Hey.” Sonic poked his friend’s forehead. “The pain gone now, Silv?”

A hum vibrated against his torso. “Yes, but…can I stay here?” Silver must’ve sensed his hesitation, for he added, “Being close to your heartbeat calms me down…It’s soothing.”

Sonic didn’t know to say to that at first, but then he remembered all the times in the past that Silver had used his body as a secondary bed.

Eventually, he fought down the strange feeling and responded, “For a few minutes. The floor only can be comfortable for so long, y’know?”

Silver simply chuckled, the vibration almost causing Sonic to laugh, it being a tickling sensation.

And so they stayed in the kitchen, the speedster massaging soothing circles at the base of white quills as the relaxed hedgie occasionally hummed.

A little while later, Sonic’s ears perked at the sound of an incoming plane. That could only mean one thing. A smirk pulled at his lips as he waited for whatever signal Tails was gonna give him. It came as a soft knock at the front door.

Sonic felt his excitement spike as Silver shot up, any hint of drowsiness leaving him as his ears swiveled in the direction of the sound. “What…?”

“It’s a surprise!” The speedster hopped to his feet and held out a hand for the other to take. When Silver hesitated, worry etched in his features, Sonic placated, “Nothing’s gonna hurt you, promise!” Silver eyed his hand, seeming to have a war with himself until one side won. He accepted Sonic’s gesture, letting himself be hauled to his feet.

Sonic kept their hands together because he wanted Silver as calm as possible. “With me here, you’ll be completely safe!”

Silver managed to give him an unimpressed look through his anxiety. “Didn’t you cause me pain like ten minutes ago?”

“Technically, that was your own fault.” Sonic smiled cheekily at him before leaving the kitchen and crossing the living room floor, dragging a reluctant Silver behind him.

Sonic hastily opened the front door, and an amazed smile instantly grew on his muzzle. “You’re a _genius_ , lil bro.” This would definitely be entertaining.

Tails, who was unhooking a _giant hamster ball_ from his plane, grinned confidently at him. “I know.”


	4. Chapter 4

Sonic took a small step forward, gazing on in awe. He hadn’t known what Tails’ plan was beforehand, but there was _no_ way he could’ve guessed that he would’ve brought home a massive hamster ball.

The azure hedgehog looked it over as Tails completely unhooked it from his plane. The sphere was big enough to fit a small handful of people, it was see-through with small holes littered all across its surface, and there was a latch door that was the obvious entrance to the ball of fun.

Sonic was itching to take the thing for a spin, and he’d never been in anything like it. He couldn’t imagine the excitement that Silver was feeling right now.

“Tails…” Sonic breathed out as the kit went over to open the hatch. “This is amazing! Where in the world did you even _get_ this from?”

“From a sports store!” Tails chirped happily as flipped the rectangular door, hoping that this would get Silver to warm up to him, at least a little bit. “It’s crazy what kind of stuff they have in there! You can buy inflatable ones too that float on water!”

That was cool, but Sonic wasn’t going to have any need for _those_ kind of spheres. The one in front of him was more than enough. “Awesome! I gotta check that place out later, but for right now, let’s take this thing for a spin!” The blue hero was going to take another step forward, but the hand intertwined in his own squeezed tightly.

Sonic blinked before peering over his shoulder, pausing at the conflicted expression on Silver’s face. He was tense, but his golden eyes shone with something akin to excitement as he gazed on at the ball. The look dulled when his attention flickered over to Tails, who had noticed the hesitation.

“What’s wrong, Silv?” Sonic asked, nodding his head at the hamster ball just _waiting_ to be climbed into. He grinned. “Don’t tell me that after _all_ this time lovin’ the small one you have, you don’t want to try this bad boy out?”

“I…” White ears lowered a bit as Silver refocused on Sonic, his stare holding uncertainty that Sonic wanted to make go away. “It’s not…some kind of trap?”

Sonic knew that the other was a timid of Tails, but he was _seriously_ thinking about passing this up?

Tails was chewing his bottom lip because this was the opposite of how he wanted this to go. He spoke up, gaining the attention of the hedgehogs. “If you want, I can go inside and-”

Sonic stopped him then and there. “You’re not goin’ inside, Tails!” He put a hand on his hip. “You brought it here, so you deserve to be out here the most!” Emerald irises met golds once more. “And _you_ gotta loosen up, mister.” Silver still was unsure, and Sonic sighed before perking up. “How ‘bout this: I’ll go in there and show you that it’s all safe and sound!”

 “Wait-”

“Nope!” Sonic let go of Silver’s hand with a smirk. “You’ve pushed me to this! So it’s all your fault!” He jogged toward the ball, ignoring – with some effort, curiously – Silver’s outstretched hand and wide eyes. Sonic glanced over at the observing Tails, and an idea popped in his mind. “Better yet, wanna break this thing in with me, Tails?”

The shock on Silver’s face wasn’t exactly subtle, and Tails figured that maybe this was the best way to show that he wasn’t out for Sonic’s – or anyone’s – blood. The kit nodded with a smile. “Sure! I’ll give it a spin!” He then gave Sonic a pointed look. “But control yourself because I _really_ don’t want to be pinballed by the trees over there.”

“Now that you gave me that idea-”

“Broken legs aren’t fun, Sonic.”

Sonic rolled his eyes, closing the distance between him and the ball. “Yeah, yeah, ya party pooper.” Emerald eyes roamed the hamster ball again now that he was standing right in front of it. Yeah, Silver was _definitely_ going to join in eventually.

The blue hedgehog climbed into the open space, careful to not let he sphere roll anywhere. He held his arms out to steady himself as Tails slowly entered as well. The ball rocked a bit, it stayed stable for the most part.

“Alright!” Sonic clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Let’s get this show on the road! Silver, are you _sure-_ ” The rest of the words died in his throat when he glimpsed back over at the white anthro. Silver was the definition of tense with his jaw clenched, ears lowered, and quills somewhat bristled. He wasn’t antagonistic, no where close. If Sonic hadn’t been so far from him, he was sure he could’ve heard whimpers escaping the other’s mouth.

Sonic resisted the urge to go back over to him while Tails’ namesakes swished unsurely. “Maybe we’re moving too fast, Sonic…”

The azure speedster shook his head, letting a smirk adorn his muzzle to show Silver that everything was _alright._ “Do you _know_ who you’re talkin’ to, bud?” Tails allowed a huff, and Sonic snickered before lowering his voice. “He’s gotta break out of it eventually, y’know? And the sooner the better!”

Tails didn’t look too happy, but he nodded anyway. “I guess you’re right.”

“Heh, I know I’m right!” Sonic reached out for the hatch, and tried to sway Silver one more time. “Are you sure that you don’t wanna join, Silv? This has to be a dream come true for you!” Silver’s alert and cautious gaze snapped from Sonic, to Tails, and back again. There was the subtle shake of a head. Sonic shrugged, hiding his disappointment. “If you say so!”

Sonic closed the latch and secured it from the inside. He didn’t give the kit any warning before shooting off in a random direction.

Tails shouted in alarm as he struggled to keep upright, not having enough space to utilize his twirling namesakes. His legs worked overtime as the ball rolled, Sonic’s laughs reaching his ears. “Really, Sonic?” he cried out, half exasperated because he honestly should’ve expected it.

“Can’t be too surprised, Tails!” Sonic chortled as he jogged, it being easier to keep his balance now that they were moving. Any bumps in the ground were barely felt as they traversed the yard, the fox eventually finding good footing.

Sonic grinned at the huffy kit before turning his attention to Silver, who was a bit blurry because of the spinning barrier between them two. Silver was in the same spot, and his anxiety was obvious, but there was something else now as his gold traced their every move. The interest was back, and Sonic could say that Silver almost looked _eager_ with the way his mouth was partly open in awe.

“We almost got him,” Sonic whispered, feeling accomplished. “There’s no way he’ll resist havin’ fun in this thing!”

Tails was slightly panting beside him because Sonic’s definition of a jog didn’t exactly match up with his. He managed to smile anyway though. “That’s why I thought of it! He basically lived in his hamster ball, so I knew he would’ve pass this up!”

“He just needs a little push…” Tails didn’t like Sonic’s tone. He looked up at the speedster in time to see a devious smirk. Then, Sonic pushed him soft enough that it didn’t hurt, but hard enough so that Tails tripped over his own feet.

“ _Ahh!_ ” Tails landed on his stomach, and his world blurred as he plastered against the inside of the sphere.

Sonic couldn’t hold in his laughs as he jumped over Tails whenever the kid was a tripping hazard.

“I thought you said you was going to push _him!_ ”

“I didn’t say that he was the only person that needed one!” Sonic retorted cheekily as he slowed the sphere down. Seeing Tails a prisoner of force and science was hilarious, but the risk of vomit was very real, and Sonic wasn’t chancing it.

Sonic’s chuckles didn’t stop once the ball did. Tails threw him a weak glare as he stood up, but the smile on his own muzzle couldn’t be willed away. “I’ll get you back for that!”

The speedster snorted. “I’d like to see you try! I know all of your tricks!”

Tails grinned slyly. “Do you?”

Sonic was beginning to think that he was a bad influence.

Before he could properly respond however, there was a quiet knock on the plastic surrounding them. Two pairs of eyes shifted over to the knocker, who was equal parts nervous and willing.

Silver opened and closed his mouth a couple times before forcing out, “Can I…” He was fighting to only acknowledge Sonic. “Can I join?”

Sonic inwardly applauded. Hook, line, and sinker.

On the outside however, the speedster simply reflected the question. “Dunno! You should ask Tails since he’s the one who got it, y’know?”

Wary gold reluctantly drifted over to the kit, and Tails made himself look as innocent as possible. It didn’t help though, for Silver still looked like he was about to high-tail it any second. Well, at least there was progress.

Tails was going to have Silver ask like Sonic had said; however, he could see that Silver _really_ wanted to voice the question, but the strong grip of fear was holding him back. Tails’ smile softened. “It’s okay! You don’t have to ask. I got it for you two, after all!” He glimpsed over at Sonic, and he nodded in understanding. The hedgehog/fox duo rolled to the side so that the door was positioned correctly. Tails unhooked it. “Come on in!”

Silver hesitated for a moment, and the brothers thought that he had a change of heart. However, he proved them wrong by gingerly stepping into the plastic sphere.

Sonic snickered, giving Silver a thumbs up. “There you go! I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist for too long!”

The white hedgie attempted to smile, but it fell short and was nothing more than an uncomfortable grimace. “Yeah, it seems pretty fun…” Golden irises roamed the interior as Silver stepped beside Sonic, slightly leaning against the surprised speedster.

Tails felt a little bad, knowing that Silver was seeking comfort in Sonic’s presence. Because of _him._ He honestly shouldn’t have expected a drastic change just because this idea. It was a step in the right direction, but Tails knew for sure that Silver wasn’t going to fully enjoy this gift if he was near.

It was fine though, because they’d always have the sphere, and he’d definitely trade some play time for Silver’s happiness. With that in mind, Tails went to exit the ball. “I’m going let you two have fun!”

Sonic didn’t like that one bit. “But Tails-”

The kit waved him off. “Don’t worry about it, Sonic! Silver’s not going to have the best time if all three of us are crammed in here.” He smiled at the white hedgehog, whose brow had creased at his words. Tails waved at them. “And plus, I got some more researching to do!”

Sonic inwardly sighed, knowing that the kit’s mind was already made up. “If you’re sure…”

“Totally!” Tails exited the ball, closing the hatch behind him. “But just because I’m gone doesn’t mean that you can go all out, Sonic!”

Sonic scoffed with a grin. “What do you take me for? Silv just became out of us _today_ , Tails!”

The kit gave him a knowing look before addressing Silver, “I’m apologizing in advance for anything that he does.” He inwardly cheered when the other’s expression marginally relaxed, and Tails might’ve been imagining it, but he saw Silver’s lips subtly twitch upwards. Tails waved. “See you two in a bit! Don’t stay out here too late!”

Any reservations about Tails leaving was gone now as Sonic rolled his eyes. “And who’s the big brother here?”

“I ask myself that all the time!” Tails teased before disappearing back into the home.

Sonic chuckled, putting a hand on his hip and absently noticing that Silver hadn’t moved away yet. “I really gotta stop rubbin’ off on that kid!” He faced the other hedgehog, pleasantly surprised to see that the nervousness was gone, replaced now with muted confusion. “Would you look at that, Silv? Tails didn’t attack us!”

The crease in Silver’s brow deepened. “Yeah, he didn’t… He-” He met Sonic’s gaze, looking baffled. “But why? I don’t understand-”

“Because he’s nice!” Sonic grinned before reaching over and scratching behind a white furred ear. Silver calmed at the touch, leaning into it as the wrinkles on his forehead faded away. Sonic pulled back after a moment, liking that the other didn’t look as troubled. “Now, ready to go for a ride?”

Silver scanned their surroundings with a newfound excitement, having a glint in his eyes that widened Sonic’s smile. “This…is so cool!” He reached out and splayed his fingers on the plastic. “It’s like everything’s normal again and I’m just rolling around in my ball, but…” Silver matched Sonic’s smile. “It’s different, a good different.”

“That’s good to hear!” Sonic was enjoying this change too. Don’t get him wrong, pet Silver was adorable, but now he was a mystery that Sonic definitely wanted to solve. And well, Sonic would be lying if he said that Silver wasn’t easy on the eyes in both forms. “Now…” He vaguely gestured. “If you’d do the honors?”

Silver blinked before perking up, understanding. He rose a foot and took a step. Sonic copied his movement, and the ball rolled forward. Silver gasped as a wide grin grew on his muzzle. He took another step, and another, and another, and eventually they were jogging – well, for Sonic it was a swift walk – as Silver’s joyous laughter filled the air.

Sonic couldn’t help but to join in with him, the strange feeling buzzing in his chest again. He ignored it though, because this was all about Silver and – they _really shouldn’t crash into the house!_

The speedster quickly veered left so they wouldn’t crash into the garage door. He’d been distracted, and he didn’t even know they were on a crash course until the last second.

Apparently, Silver had been too busy enjoying himself as well to pay attention too, and the sudden shift made him trip over his own feet. Silver yelled out in surprised, and there was no way Sonic could catch him.

The other face-planted and was forced around the sphere like Tails had been. Sonic thought about slowing down, but there was more shock than pain on Silver’s face, so he kept going. “Had a nice trip?” he asked with a chuckle, hopping over Silv whenever he had to.

Instead of receiving a verbal answer, Sonic was caught off guard by a grip on his ankle. He didn’t get a chance to yell before he smacked his nose on the hard casing. His world spun as he looped upside down multiple times, and when the sphere slowed down enough, it stopped rolling, simply rocking back and forth.

Sonic quietly groaned as he sat up, rubbing his nose. Well, that was until he heard soft chuckles coming from behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, Silver was still laying on his stomach, eyes crinkling as he looked at the speedster. “I don’t know,” his grin was lopsided. “How was it?”

The speedster gaped for a moment, it eventually morphing into a smirk. “You just made the mistake of your life, buddy. You have no idea what I’m capable of!”

Silver didn’t get to respond before Sonic curled into a ball and let loose.

About five minutes later, the azure hero was getting an earful.

“Seriously, Sonic? I told you not to go all out!”

Sonic smiled sheepishly as he led a stumbling Silver across the living room, aiming for the couch. Silver was leaning heavily into him, an arm thrown over his shoulder, as he fought the bout of nausea and dizziness that hit him after a rather…aggressive spin cycle.

“Yeah…” Sonic had to admit, keeping his hold on Silv secure so he wouldn’t fall. “In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea.”

Tails frowned in concern when Silver covered his mouth like he was going to throw up. “I’ll be right back!” He ran out of the room to fetch a plastic bag just in case Silver couldn’t keep everything inside.

Sonic chewed the inside of his lip, seeing that Silver was too miserable to react to Tails’ appearance – or disappearance – at all. “I’m sorry, Silv! I really shouldn’t have gone so fast!”

“It’s…” The white hedgehog panted out, lowering his hand. “It’s okay! It was…It was fun until-” Silver brought it back up, cheeks puffing but nothing escaped.

Sonic still felt terrible as he carefully sat the other on the sofa. Silver had just transformed _today!_ What had he been thinking? It was supposed to be a gradual adjustment, not-

“I said that…it’s okay…” Sonic was thrown out of his thoughts by Silver’s wobblily smile. Then, Silver wordlessly took his hand and guided him an empty spot on the same couch. The dizzy hedgie sighed as he laid down with his head in Sonic’s lap, closing his eyes.

Sonic buried his fingers in Silver’s quills, and Silver released a shaky breath, slightly curling up to get comfortable. As his body relaxed, unabashedly using Sonic’s legs as a pillow, Sonic couldn’t help but to mutter, “Comfortable, huh?”

Silver noncommittally hummed, ears occasionally twitching as they were massaged.

Sonic cracked a smile. Yeah, this was definitely a good change. “Just don’t drool on me.”

“You deserve it…” Silver quietly slurred out, trailing off at the end.

Tails had returned at this point with a plastic bag in hand. Seeing the Silver resting on the couch, the kit made sure to make his footsteps light as he padded over to Sonic. He held the bag out, giving the speedster a pointed stare, and Sonic took it trying to look as innocent as possible.

The fox sighed, his gaze dropping to the sleeping hedgehog. “Is he mad?” he mouthed, hoping that wasn’t the case.

Sonic shook his head, placing the bag next to him. “He’s cool,” he said just as silently. “At least I know his limits now!”

Tails wasn’t amused.

Sonic combed through Silver’s head quills, receiving a quiet purr in return. “It won’t happen again!” _Probably_ , was the word Tails knew was missing there. “But anyway, how’s the research?”

Tails unsurely shrugged, not thrown off by the sounds coming from the sleeping hedgie. “Nothing,” he mouthed. “I gotta dig deeper…”

“There’s no rush!” Sonic grinned, and Tails figured that he had a point. The was a lapse in conversation, the brothers focused on the anomaly that was Silver.

After a moment, Tails bobbed his head in the direction of the garage, planning to get some tinkering done. He’d leave more research for another day. “I’m going back to the garage.”

Sonic nodded, and the kit tiptoed away. The azure speedster leaned back into the cushions, getting comfortable as he gazed at the TV in front of him. He didn’t know how long Silver would be out, but with the beginnings of a sunset outside, he guessed that he might sleep for the rest of the night.

He’d have to get a blanket and some pillows for him, the couch being a temporary bed until they found something more permanent for him.

Sonic blinked down when he felt something wet drip on him. Silver was indeed drooling on his leg, lightly snoring.

Okay yeah. He guessed he deserved it.

* * *

 

Silver was roused by soft yet rapid taps filling the air. He recognized that sound; it was raining. Though, it was sharper than he remembered and was smoothing to the ears.

He yawned as he stretched his limbs before freezing. What he was laying on wasn’t gritty or shifting under his weight. Silver was resting on something soft and fuzzy, nothing like the bedding he was used to.

Silver blinked his tired eyes open, seeing nothing but darkness at first. They eventually adjusted though, and his brow furrowed at the view of the living room he had resided in for so long. He wasn’t tucked in the corner anymore with four glass walls around him.

He was on a couch, covered with a blanket, with a couple pillows cradling his head.

Oh, right. He had…he had changed.

Silver slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes as the blanket bundled in his lap. He lowered his hands, clenching and unclenching his fingers. He was like Sonic now, able to talk with him, walk with him, laugh with him…

A chuckle escaped his throat when memories of the giant hamster ball popped up. That had been fun – minus the getting sick part, but being so close to Sonic made up for it – and if everyday would be like that from now on, Silver would never want to go back to how it was before.

Sure, Tails was a…problem, maybe, well, he didn’t even know anymore. Every fiber of Silver’s being was screaming to stay away from the predator, but Tails hadn’t shown any signs of hostility yet, and he had plenty times to attack…

Silver shook his head of those thoughts and instead focused on the pitter-patter hitting the windows and roof.

He closed his eyes once more just to listen, loving how some of his senses had gotten better since the transformation. His hearing was great, his sense of taste was as well, and touch…

A smile grew on Silver muzzle as he was reminded of Sonic’s fingers running through his quills and massaging beneath his fur. Every time felt amazing, and Silver wanted to do nothing more than just melt into the touch, never wanting him to stop.

That brought up a question though. Would Sonic feel the same way if Silver returned the favor? He was a hedgehog too, after all.

Well, he wouldn’t be able to test that theory out yet because Sonic was probably asleep. He and Tails usually were when it was this dark. Silver opened his eyes and peered over his shoulder, seeing the hallway those two would disappear into every night. They were back there, somewhere. Silver was never shown what was beyond the living room and kitchen.

Silver wasn’t going to wake Sonic up however. He could answer his own little question later. Instead, Silver turned his attention back on to the rain, wondering about the strange liquid from the sky. He’d never been outside while it was raining, heck, he’d only been outside a handful of times. And Sonic had occasionally let him look out of a window while it was storming, but that was the closest he ever got to the stuff.

Curiosity getting the best of him, Silver kicked off the blanket with his newfound and powerful legs. The white hedgehog stood up on two feet – feeling giddy that he could even _do_ this – and glanced around in the dark. He zeroed in on the outline of the door in the distance, and he shuffled in that direction, careful to not trip on anything.

The door wasn’t hard to open, having the knowledge to unlock it. Maybe because he’d seen Sonic do it so many times in the past? There was no way of knowing, but Silver wasn’t caught on that for long because the rain was louder now.

Silver simply stared for a moment, unable to actually see the water because it was so dark, but he knew it was close. He held his hand out, and he quietly gasped at the cool water that stream down his arm and dripped to the ground.

The feeling was nothing like taking baths in the sink. Silver stepped out of the home, feeling the wet grass between his toes. He tensed when the downpour weighed down his fur and quills. However, he soon relaxed, tilting his head back and letting the gentle rain hit his face.

It was refreshing and new, making him wonder about all the other experiences he had missed out on because he was small. If something as common as rain felt this fantastic, then what else-

“Silver!”

Silver snapped out of his reverie at the sound of his name. He whirled around and smiled at the sight of Sonic approaching him, light now filtering out of the home. Water was streaming down his face, but he didn’t care. It felt good and Sonic was here and everything was amazing.

Silver made a move to reenter the living room. “Hey-”

Sonic held a hand up, making Silver pause. “Don’t come in yet!” he quietly exclaimed, running into some other part of the house. Silver listened because there had to be a reason why…and it was probably because he’d get water everywhere. Oops.

The blue hedgehog returned with a couple towels, gesturing him inside. As soon as Silver crossed the threshold, Sonic began drying him off from the feet up. It was clear that Sonic had just woken up, the remainder of sleep in his eyes.

Silver frowned at that. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to wake you…”

Sonic’s snicker lacked the usual energy. “Well, don’t feel bad because I’ve had _much_ ruder awakenings in the past.” That didn’t ease Silver’s frown, but he didn’t respond as Sonic patted him down, controlling his dripping as much as possible.

Once he got to Silver’s chest, Sonic yawned and held the towel out for him to take. “Finish off your body while I take care of your quills.” Silver took the cloth out of his hands as Sonic went over and closed the door, the pitter-patter dulling. He was slow in drying himself off, not sure if the rain was worth interrupting Sonic’s sleep. He didn’t seem upset, but…

“Are you mad?” he asked as he felt his longer quills get toweled.

The answer was immediate. “Nah. I mean, nothing’s wrong with tryin’ out new things.” Sonic returned to the spot in front of him, covering Silver’s head with the towel and massaging his head through the cloth. The blue hedgehog’s lips sleepily twitched upwards. “But next time, at least wait ‘til the sun’s up, ‘kay?”

“Yeah, I understand.”

Something in his tone must’ve made Sonic pause. Jaded emerald irises bored into guilty golds. “Hey, you heard what I said? Don’t feel bad! I’ll be out like a light in a few minutes, so it would be like I haven’t got up at all,” Sonic reassured, resuming his drying.

Silver wanted to make things better though, because he knew he made a mistake. He opened and closed his mouth before asking, “Can I try something?”

“Sure,” Sonic replied, seemingly too tired to really think about the question. Silver went ahead however, lifting his damp hand and scratched the spot behind one of his blue ears.

Sonic’s sharply inhaled, his arms freezing as he started at Silver. He wasn’t deterred though, knowing that it felt good and determined to see if it would affect Sonic the same way. Silver dug into the fur there, kneading the skin underneath.

It took a moment, but Sonic’s eyes eventually slipped closed, and he pushed against his fingers. With an accomplished smile, Silver dropped the towel he was holding to show the same affection to the other ear. A rumble emitted from Sonic’s chest, and Silver purred in response, warmth filling him despite the coolness from the leftover rain.

Sonic liked this as much as he did, that was a fact.

However, Silver was forced to stop when Sonic sagged forward. He gailvsped before wrapping his arms about the blue hedgehog, confused and concerned about what was going on…until he heard snoring in his ear.

Silver laughed in relief. Sonic just had fallen asleep.

Both towels had fallen to the floor by this point; Silver had forgotten about them already. He was too busy soaking in Sonic’s body heat, loving how it felt to be near him. Silver could feel his heartbeat, it steady and constant.

Silver sighed before awkwardly maneuvering back over to the couch. Sonic wasn’t exactly the lightest thing ever, and he was sure that he wasn’t going to make it all the way to Sonic’s room…wherever that was.

Silver was still a little damp, but he was positive that didn’t matter as he sat Sonic on the sofa, the speedster’s head lolling backwards. Silver plopped down beside him, eyeing his condition.

Sonic should be laying down, right? Well, there wasn’t too much room on the sofa, but…if he had used Sonic as a pillow, he could just return the favor. He had to reposition the other though, because Silver might nod back off too.

Gears turning in his mind, Silver reached out again and hugged Sonic close to him. He then shimmied until he was laying flat on his back, the blue hero flush against him. After, Silver used his legs to lift Sonic’s onto the cushions, stretched out.

Silver exhaled once he was down, feeling accomplished, and his smile returned when Sonic unconsciously buried his muzzle into his chest fur, arms wrapping around Silver’s torso.

Silver hoped that Sonic could hear his heartbeat, now that they were the same.

* * *

 

When Sonic opened his eyes, he last thing he expected to see was a sea of white. His brain struggled to understand the visual and why the white felt soft against his face.

It was when he felt the steady rise and fall of the thing he was laying on that he bolted straight up. Sonic’s breath caught in his throat, realizingthat he’d been resting on _Silver._ The white hedgehog was still asleep, breathing deeply with his lips parted.

Sonic wished that his blush wasn’t noticeable because _how_ did _this_ happen? He remembered catching Silver outside in the rain and drying him off but…afterwards was a blank.

The speedster ran a hand through his azure quills, trying to untangle his legs from Silver’s without waking the other up. However, he wasn’t so successful because Silver yawned and blinked up at him.

Sonic was still, mind racing. He said the first thing that came to mind. “Uh…mornin’.”

“Go-” Silver couldn’t finish his greeting, a fit of coughs wracking his system. He sniffed after it calmed down, his voice dry and raspy as he tried again. “Good morning…”

Sonic’s mental alarms were going off. “Silv, are you sick?” It had to have been the rain, and it didn’t look like the other had been completely dried off either.

The white hedgie opened his mouth, but instead of answering, he sneezed.

And Sonic – along with the rest of the furniture in the room – floated into the air.


	5. Chapter 5

Sonic still had to be asleep. He had to be dreaming, right? He didn’t actually wake up on Silver’s chest, Silver wasn’t actually sick, and Sonic wasn’t actually _flying through the air._

However, the pain was very much real when his back slammed against the opposite wall. Sonic sucked in a pained breath at the shock, managing to land in a crouch when he fell to the floor.

Wide emerald eyes snapped up just in time to see a few chairs and a coffee table crash haphazardly against the carpet. Sonic’s mind was going haywire as he slowly stood up, which was completely understandable. It wasn’t every day that someone’s _sneeze_ blew everything away like a raging whirlwind.

He eventually refocused on Silver, who was still comfortable on the couch. The white hedgehog was now sitting up, his waking and muddled brain struggling to process what just happened.

It wasn’t long before puffy eyes met Sonic’s. “I…” Silver interrupted himself with a series of dry coughs, his brow pinching together. “What was-”

“I should be asking _you_ that question!” The shock swiftly leaked out of Sonic’s system as he stood up, only to be replaced with confusion and unadulterated awe. “Because _that,_ Silv, was no ordinary sneeze!”

Silver couldn’t have looked more lost as Sonic approached him. He subtly shook his head, sniffing. “No, I – I have _no_ idea what-” Another round of coughs irritated the white hedgehog’s throat, and he lowly whined. “Am I dying?”

Sonic would’ve laughed if Silver hadn’t been completely serious. Like everything that had happened to him in the last twenty-four hours, this was totally new territory.

He instead smiled reassuringly, reaching over to comb through wayward white forehead quills with his fingers. A quiet hum told him at the action was much appreciated. “No, you’re not dyin’! You’re just a little sick, nothing to be worried about. It’s pretty common.” He pulled back his hand so Silver was paying attention to his words, not the massage. “ _Especially_ when you stand in the rain and go to bed without dryin’ off.”

“Oh.” Silver winced when he cleared his throat, voice scratchy. He nodded guiltily. “I’ll keep that in mind next time…” A new thought must’ve came to him, for a small smirk pulled at his lips. “And it wasn’t all my fault either. I went to bed wet because you fell asleep dying me off.”

Sonic blinked before chuckling sheepishly. _That_ was the reason he didn’t remember much from last night. “Pushing that _aside_ , let’s talk about what you just did with that nose of yours!”

Silver’s ears flattened as he gazed at the mess he made. “…So people can’t normally do that when they’re sick?”

Sonic put a hand on his hip, snickering. “Nope!” Silver didn’t seem as excited as he was, and he needed to change that. Sonic stepped to the side, blocking the view and gaining the other’s full attention. “And forgot about the mess, Silv! Don’t feel bad about it!”

Silver was unsure, rubbing an irritated eye. “But I hurt you-”

“Pfft!” Sonic waved him off. “I know what bein’ in pain feels like, and that wasn’t it!” The hesitation didn’t fade away, and Sonic kicked it up a notch. “I’m fine, Silver! Really.” He kneeled down, taking one of the other’s hands and holding it up. He splayed his fingers out against Silver’s, the shape almost matching perfectly.

Sonic’s smile widened at Silver’s doubtful expression. “What you did was awesome, and you wanna know why?” He didn’t wait for a response. “Because not only did you transform into a person like us, but you also have some kind of power like I do!” Silver was just one surprise after another, and they _really_ needed to find out what in the heck was up with that cat food.

Sonic inwardly cheered when a bit of his excitement flowed over to Silver, breaking through his friend’s reluctance. “A…power?”

“You’ve _had_ to notice that I’m a pretty fast runner, right?” Sonic asked.

Silver nodded with the ghost of a grin. “Yeah.” He managed to stifle his coughs this time. “Especially after the ride in the hamster ball.”

Sonic rolled his eyes, but his smile didn’t fade. “My power’s super speed, and we’ll figure out what yours is together, ‘kay? There’s no need to worry!”

Silver searched his expression for anything that said otherwise, but came up empty. His features relaxed, and Sonic mentally patted himself on the back. He couldn’t celebrate his victory for long though, for Silver’s nose scrunched up.

Sonic was thrown for a loop a millisecond until he realized what was going on. By then, it was too late. Silver violently sneezed, and Sonic was hurled into the air again with a sharp yell. Unlike last time, he never hit the ground. His body jerked to a halt mid-air, and Sonic was left suspended with his mouth gaping open.

It was like gravity decided to take a break for him…and so did every single one of his muscles. He couldn’t move at all, his limbs refusing to listen. The only thing Sonic could depend on was his eyes, and they noticed a light blue aura encasing his body, covering every square inch.

Yeah, they needed to work on Silver’s power because freezing opponents before spin dashing them to oblivion would be _so_ satisfying.

…and so Silver could feel more secure about himself. That too.

Speaking of that hedgehog, Sonic finally met his gaze again only to find panic swirling within.

“I heard a yell! What happened?!”

Not expecting the shout, Sonic startled at the voice while Silver yelped, whirling his head around to watch a frenzied Tails zoom into the room. As soon as Silver turned away, the spell was broken. Sonic curled into a ball to prevent his face from having a nasty meeting with the floor.

He bounced once before landing on his feet, dusting himself off. Sonic saw Tails’ flabbergasted expression and chuckled. “Oh, so you just slept through the thrown chairs, huh?”

“Well, crashes are more common in this house than yells,” Tails said easily because it was a hundred percent true. The kit’s alert sapphires scanned the tossed furniture, the standing speedster, and then the wary hedgehog on the couch with rosy cheeks and a runny nose.

Silver’s aversion to him – and less-than-healthy state – should have made him pause, but right now he had different priorities.

Tails glanced up to where he had seen Sonic _floating_ and opened his mouth. Sonic interrupted him, knowing what he was going to say. “Nope! This isn’t a dream, Tails! Silver just pulled off something amazing!”

“Sever understatement…you were in the _air!_ ” Tails was awed as he went over to upturned coffee table, flipping it back over with some effort. He eyed the chairs, flabbergasted because it looked like a tornado had hit. “How…how did he do it?”

“It was from a sneeze! It came out of nowhere-”

Sonic was cut off by yet another abrupt achoo.

“-like that.”

Shocked emeralds and sapphires trained on a terrified Silver as he rocketed up to the ceiling, surrounded in that same cyan glow.

However, it seemed like Silver could move while airborne, for he was flailing like his life depended on it. “H-Help! I…I _can’t-”_

The unadulterated desperation in his voice kicked Sonic into action. “Don’t worry, I got ya!” The azure hedgehog bounded over to Silver in a couple short strides, using his powerful leg muscles to leap high into the air.

With an outstretched arm, Sonic secured a grip around one of Silver’s wrists and grinned. “Down we go!” Gravity worked its magic, and the pair fell back down to the ground, though it was slower than usual because Silver was still glowing like a neon sign.

Sonic was speechless as they floated down like feathers until his feet met carpet once more. Then, a surprised gasp escaped his throat when trembling arms wrapped around his shoulders, similar legs hooking his waist. “What?” Sonic’s voice cracked at the body flush against him, not ready for any of this.

He reflexively supported Silver so he wouldn’t fall by hugging him, although he weighed next to nothing. Silver was still glowing, so that must be why.

“I don’t like it.” A nasally whimpering voice near Sonic’s right ear made it perk up. “Can you make it stop…please?”

Sonic felt something twist in his gut. He placed a comforting hand on Silver’s back, rubbing in small circles. “Don’t worry, Silv! I’m right here, and I won’t let anything bad happen to ya. It’s gonna get better, promise!”

Silver didn’t answer verbally, sighing against Sonic’s neck at the treatment. Sonic nearly froze at the sensation, fighting the blush creeping on his cheeks.

“I think we should get him some medicine…” Sonic turned around to face Tails’ thoughtful yet amused expression, huffing in response to it. He absently noticed how Silver slightly tightened his hold at the fox’s voice. “So there’s a smaller chance of that happening again, you know? I really don’t want any furniture or windows broken.”

Sonic grinned because that was very much a possibility. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. Do we even have any here?” He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he or Tails had been sick.

“I’ll go check!” Tails whirled his namesakes and flew out of the living room.

As soon as he disappeared, the glow dissipated, and Silver was instantly a little harder to hold. They seemed to tighten their hugs simultaneously until Sonic realized what he was doing.

He loosened his arms somewhat. “You alright now, Silv?”

“For now…” Silver muttered against his shoulder, sniffing. “Until I sneeze again.” The white hedgehog eventually unwrapped his legs, Sonic supporting himself until his feet were firmly planted on the ground. Silver then let his arms slip, rubbing his eyes again. “I know your excited about my…powers, but I really wish they didn’t exist.”

Sonic scoffed, putting a hand on his hip. “I bet you’d be singin’ a different tune if you weren’t sick.”

Silver jutted his lips out in a small pout, and Sonic’s gaze unconsciously flickered down to them. “Yeah, I know.” His brow then furrowed in thought. “But did this happen to you? Like, could you control your…superspeed when you first got it?”

Sonic pondered his question. “Oh man, I’ve had it for so long that I don’t even know if there had been a time without it. But some of my earliest memories are filled with bruises and the occasional broken bone.”

Silver tensed up at that. “Seriously? And you kept using it, even after that?”

“Of course!” Sonic turned and threw an arm over Silver’s shoulders. “I wouldn’t be the awesome guy that I am today without it.” He gave Silver a squeeze, smiling. “They were all learnin’ experiences, and boy do you need a lot of those!”

Silver deadpanned at him, but there was a subtle upturn of his lips. “You’re not helping.”

The speedster laughed as Tails retuned with a bottle and a spoon in hand. Sonic didn’t address how Silv tensed up, instead stepping towards Tails. “Got the good stuff?”

“Yeah.” Tails held up the cold medicine, the red liquid swishing around inside. “And luckily it’s strawberry flavored!”

“Nice!” Sonic took the items, feeling somewhat bad because this stuff tasted _nothing_ like strawberries.

Tails’ warm expression met Silver’s suspicious gaze. “The medicine should speed up the course of your cold! Hopefully it’ll keep sneezing to a minimum.” Silver didn’t verbally respond, eyeing the bottle like it might explode any second. The kit inwardly sighed, addressing Sonic once more. “I’m gonna go do more research on that company because what’s happening to Silver keeps on getting weirder and weirder.”

“You can say that again, lil buddy.” The last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind. Their little pet hedgehog had morphed into a functional member of society with crazy floaty powers. No adventure they’ve had measured up to this.

Tails leaned towards the exit, one glance to the kitchen having him asking, “Do you guys want me to make some breakfast?” That rude awakening had left him starving.

Sonic could go for some food, but he had another idea. “We’ll take a rain-check on that, Tails.” When the kit looked confused, he explained, “I wanna take Silver to the city for breakfast!”

Two pairs of wide eyes landed on him.

“Seriously, Sonic?” Tails believed that was the worst idea Sonic had come up with in a while. “We don’t want to overwhelm Silver with too much stimuli, he’s _sick,_ and did you forget that he can make people or things float at random? It’s dangerous for him to go out!”

Unexpectedly, Silver spoke up, reluctantly agreeing with the kit. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

Sonic wasn’t going to give up that easily. “I know, I know! But hear me out! It’s too early for a lot of people to be out right now, Silver just has a _little_ cold, nothing major, and he only floats things when he sneezes! I just gotta keep him from sneezing!”

While Tails wasn’t placated at all, Silver tilted his head curiously. “How can you stop me from-” Silver’s words died when his mouth fell open, eyelids fluttering. Sonic had better reflexes this time, his unoccupied fingers shooting over and pinching the hedgehog’s nose closed.

Sonic waited until Silver slumped, looking both appreciative and absolutely miserable. Silver sniffed when his nose was freed. “Ugh…that’s the worst feeling ever.”

The speedster snickered. “Well, its better than the alternative, right?”

“I guess… Do I have to do that every ti-” Silver whipped his hand up and copied Sonic’s actions, forcing the oncoming sneeze away. He groaned. “This is terrible.”

“And it’s why I don’t want you to go out!” Tails reiterated, the amount of concern written on his face causing some of Silver’s tension to evaporate. The kit appreciated the process he was making in the trust department, but he didn’t stray from the current topic. “It’s easier to keep things contained here if you let one slip.”

“But we won’t!” Sonic wasn’t going to budge. He shook the medicine in his hand. “After we get this in his system, he won’t be sneezin’ as much! And listen to me, Siv.” He was now regarding the sick boy, hoping to get him on his side. “You’ve been cooped up in this whole your whole _life!_ Don’t you wanna see what else is out there? What excitement awaits us?”

Silver still seemed hesitant, so Sonic pulled out the big guns.

A grin split his face in half. “I don’t want to ruin the surprise or anything, but here’s a little hint: the breakfast involves _strawberries._ ”

Silver instantly perked up, and Tails knew any attempt to argue further would be in vain.

The kit breathily sighed. “Just…Just be _careful_ out there, okay?”

Sonic rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Tails. You know me!”

“That’s exactly why I said it.” Tails’ mocking tone turned more genuine when he addressed Silver. “Will you tell me if anything happens when you come back? Because I know Sonic won’t.”

“Hey!”

Silver nodded after a moment of hesitation, amused by Sonic’s pout. “Yeah, I will.”

Tails smiled in relief before revving up his namesakes. “Alright, I’m off to the garage.” He waved to them. “See you guys in a bit!”

“Don’t work yourself too hard!” Sonic advised as the kit disappeared. He shook his head with a fond smile on his muzzle, uncapping the medicine bottle. “I have to tell him that because he’s seriously a workaholic. He’d probably be holed up in that garage all the time if I let him.”

Silver was staring at the spot Tails had been standing. “You two…really are good friends, huh?”

“Of course!” Sonic chirped, careful to not spill any drops as he poured the thick liquid on the spoon. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! Tails is the nicest guy you’ll ever meet.”

“Well…” Silver was watching him now. “That’s a lie because I know you.”

The warmth in his voice wasn’t hard to miss, and a couple of drops fell to the carpet below. Sonic chuckled as he rubbed the tiny stain away with his foot, unsure why the words affected him so much. “Really? Did you forget the hamster ball and strawberry incidents already?”

Silver stifled a cough, snickering. “No, but everything else makes up for that. For all I can remember, you’ve cared for me.” Sonic resisted the urge to fidget as he stood, those gold irises pinning him to the spot. “I mean, you fed me, protected me, comforted me, my world basically revolved around you.”

“Tails helped a lot too,” Sonic hastily reminded him, trying to stop this situation from getting more awkward – and to stop the strange feeling in him from become too overpowering.

“Yeah, but…” Silver took a small step closer, and the speedster’s grip on the spoon unconsciously tightened. “I always wanted you though.”

Sonic was inwardly panicking because Silver didn’t know better and friends didn’t say things like this to each other and the strange feeling was becoming _unbearable._

Silver’s smile was soft. “You meant everything to me because you _were_ everything. Still are. That’s why you’re the nicest.” Sonic gaped like a goldfish who had flopped out of his bowl when Silver turned his attention to the medicine like he _hadn’t_ just dropped a verbal bomb. “So I have to eat that, right?”

Sonic knew he couldn’t dwell on what Silver said because the last thing he needed was the other asking questions. Squashing his shock, he replied, “Yep, just this spoonful.” Then he went on to say, “Oh and uh, thanks,” because he couldn’t just leave the previous statements unanswered; though it wasn’t the most thought-out response.

Silver didn’t seem to care. “I should be the one doing the thanking.” His smile was lopsided, gaining all of Sonic’s attention, only disappearing when he leaned forward to take the spoon in his mouth.

Sonic kept the utensil steady, a muted laugh passing his lips when Silver’s features twisted up in disgust. “Don’t think I’m the nicest anymore, huh?” he teased.

The white hedgehog seemed like he was going to spit it out – Sonic was ready to duck and dodge if necessary – but he forced himself to swallow, sticking his tongue out. “What in the world was _that?_ I didn’t taste any strawberries!”

“Eh, they’re in there, somewhere.” Sonic couldn’t hide his mirth as he placed the spoon and bottle on the coffee table. He then gave the recovering Silver a once-over, his gaze lingering on the other’s bare feet. He couldn’t go walking around the city like that…

“Wait here for a sec,” Sonic said, and he didn’t wait for a response before he zipped out of the den and into his bedroom in the back of the home. He allowed himself to take a deep breath, running his fingers through his hanging quills.

He shouldn’t get too worked up over this because Silver didn’t know what he was saying. Or, maybe he did, for everything had been technically true, but _how_ he said it was…

Okay, let’s just say that if Sonic heard that from anyone else, he would’ve called it a love confession. However, _Silver_ had said it. Silver, who he had _actually_ taken care off for the past few months, who had been suddenly tossed in this brand new world, who was putting all of his trust in Sonic.

Silver wasn’t confessing his love, he was practically handing over his soul for Sonic to care for.

Well, Sonic had been doing it for _this_ long, so…

After another deep breath, the speedster searched for what he came in here for. He had another pair of shoes hiding somewhere, sparsely used.

Sonic could at least help Silver adjust to society and control his newfound powers, and then…and then what?

He didn’t get to answer his own question – not really desiring to answer it – for he found his extra shoes, sitting pretty underneath his bed. Sonic grabbed them, a pair of socks, and zoomed back to the living room, cracking a grin at an exasperated Silver holding his nose.

“When will the medicine kick in?” he asked, voice more muffled than normal.

“Pretty soon!” Sonic reassured before holding out his footwear. “Time to put these on!” Silver’s hesitance was palpable, and the hero scoffed. “You _don’t_ want to be walking barefoot on concrete, trust me.”

“I suddenly appreciate soft wood shavings a lot more…” Silver muttered with a sniff, palming the socks first. He sunk to the floor and donned the cloths with some struggle. Sonic tossed the shoes down, glad that he’d always gone lace-less, and was proud when Silver figured out which went on which foot.

Sonic gave him a thumbs up, reaching out with his other hand to help. “Looks good on ya!”

Silver was clearly uncomfortable as he took the speedster’s hand, getting up to his feet. “How do you wear these all the time? It’s so cramped!”

“You’ll forget you’re wearin’ them soon enough!” Sonic said confidently as he headed for the exit of the home, hearing shoes squelching in leftover puddles as Silver followed him outside. He gazed in the direction of Station Square, the waking sun warming them with its rays.

Sonic then peered over his shoulder, watching Silver breathe in the morning air – as much as he could with his stuffy sinuses – enjoying the light breeze rustling his quills. Unknowingly to the white hedgehog, the winds were about to get _much_ faster.

“The city’s in that direction,” Sonic informed, bobbing his head at the silhouettes of buildings in the distance. “It’s about a minute jog.”

Silver squinted where he gestured to, his brow creasing. “Only a minute…? There’s no way!”

Sonic smirked. “Superspeed, remember?”

“I – yeah sure, but I don’t – what are you doing?”

Now squatting with his back to Silver, Sonic’s smirk broadened. “Offering you a piggy-back ride! Just hop on!”

Silver bit his lip, unenthusiastic as he shuffled closer. “Are you sure this is safe?”

“Totally!” Sonic chirped. “I’ve got years of experience, Silv, I won’t drop ya!”

Silver silently stared, his internal war present on his face, until one side won out. He closed the distance. “So uh…what exactly do I do?”

“Boarding is a _breeze._ ” Sonic chuckled. “Just wrap your arms around my neck-” Silver did so, movements slow and gentle. “-and jump!” Silver did that as well, Sonic instantly hooking his arms under his legs for support. The speedster stood to full height, adjusting the warm weight on his back. “Comfy?”

“Surprisingly, yeah.”

“See, what’d I tell you?” Sonic marched in place a bit to warm up. “Just make sure you don’t get any snot on me, ‘kay?”

There was a laugh that made the hero’s insides lighter. “I’ll try!” Sonic’s body then froze when he felt his cheek being nuzzled, Silver hugging him marginally tighter as he whispered, “And before we go, I just…I just want to say thank you for everything you’re doing for me.”

Not wanting to be rude – because it would be rude not to return the action, right? Silver had nuzzled _all_ the time in his previous form, and this…was just him saying thank you. There was no harm in that. None at all – Sonic pressed against him, the contact surprisingly soothing. “No problem! Wasn’t just going to leave you high and dry, y’know?”

The only response Sonic received was the rumble of a purr against his back, the satisfied sound quiet in his ears.

He didn’t think about it too much, simply blasting off without warning.

Frantic yelling and boisterous cackling soon filled the air.


	6. Chapter 6

When they finally reached the outskirts of the city, Silver didn’t know what to do first. It was either feel relieved that the world wasn’t an incomprehensible blur anymore and he wasn’t on the verge of losing his voice because of his screaming, or feel regret because he wasn’t in the safe comfort of home, surrounded by unknowns and beings that might want to eat him for breakfast.

The regret won out, fright coming along for the ride.

Silver’s joints locked into place, holding onto Sonic tighter as his eyes darted around. There were high reaching buildings that reflected the morning sun’s rays overhead, there were cars zooming up and down the streets, and there was an omnipresent rumble coming from the people everywhere.

And by people, he meant _predators._

A low whimper escaped him as his fingers trembled. “I changed my mind.” Sonic had said that there wouldn’t be a lot of people around; this was too much. He couldn’t believe that he was thinking this, but they should have listened to Tails. “Let’s go back home! I-I think my cold might be getting worse!”

Sonic coughed when arms constricted tightly around his neck. “Hey-” he wheezed, his air supply being cut off. “Would you loosen up a little? Can’t…breathe…”

Silver gasped as he loosened his hold, placing his hands on the speedster’s shoulders. “I’m sorry!” he hastily apologized, shocked at his own behavior. He had just hurt Sonic _again_ , the person who had treated him with the upmost care all of his life. “I didn’t mean to! I’m still getting used to this body, and-”

Sonic laughed at his frenzied words, voice regaining its strength. “It’s alright, Silver, really! It was just as accident.” He peeked over his shoulder to meet a guilty golden gaze. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, okay? Consider it payback from the hamster ball incident and getting you sick,” he uttered with a grin.

Silver didn’t get a chance to respond with his own upturned lips, for his feet unexpectedly touched the ground, Sonic stepping out of the weak hold he had on his shoulders.

The loss of heat snapped Silver’s focus onto the situation at hand, feeling vulnerable even though Sonic was still within arm’s reach. Tense fingers found themselves wrapped around Sonic’s upper arm, Silver stepping closer to urgently whisper, “But seriously, I really think we should go back home. We have food there, right? Tails said we did…”

Sonic rolled his eyes before widely gesturing to the bustling city with his unoccupied arm. “Even after lookin’ at all this, you still want to go back? Where’s your sense of adventure, Silv? This is exciting!”

Silver raked his fingers though his wind-swept quills, his other hand still anchored onto Sonic. He sniffed and muttered, “Considering that I’ve spent my whole life happily in a maximum of two rooms, it’s nonexistent.”

“And you don’t want to change that?” Sonic prompted. It was _because_ Silver had stayed cooped up all this time that Sonic was doing this. Silver could live his life to the fullest now, and there were too many sights to see and adventures to be had to just be satisfied doing nothing…especially with those interesting powers of his.

When Silver shook his head and gave his arm a gentle tug in the opposite direction of Station Square, Sonic didn’t budge. Instead, a smirk grew. “So, you’re willing to turn down the amazing strawberry themed breakfast I promised you?”

Silver hesitated this time, and Sonic had him where he wanted him. “Look, Silv, I know you’re worried and all, but there’s no danger out here!” Except when a particular egg-shaped human was around, but Sonic wasn’t going to share that detail quite yet. “See-” He pointed down to the moving masses. “No one’s eating each other! There’s a bear talking to what looks like a deer, and there’s a wolf holding hands with a chicken, and that cheetah and zebra seem like the best of friends-”

Silver observed silently as Sonic pointed out more and more oddities, his mind unable to comprehend _why._ Everything Sonic was saying was true. There were predators mingling with prey like it was natural. The ones who should be terrified are initiating the conversations, laughing, walking completely at ease with a threat at their side.

“It doesn’t make any sense…” Silver breathed out in disbelief.

“Sure it does!” Sonic softly nudged him with his shoulder, making wary golds lock with shining emeralds. “You’re part of my world now, Silver! One where people _don’t_ eat other people.”

Silver didn’t answer immediately as he rubbed an itchy eye, his unwavering trust in Sonic clashing with his internal instincts that had been there since day one.

Figuring that Silver would learn more with showing than telling, Sonic grabbed one of his wrists and pulled him forward, making Silver stumble over his own feet. “While that sinks in, I’m gonna take us to get some grub!”

“W-Wait!” Silver squeaked as he was dragged along.

“Waiting isn’t really my strong suit!” Sonic chirped. He wasn’t going the fastest, but his sure strides and firm grip on his wrist gave Silver no other choice but to follow.

Silver hunched his shoulders and flattened his ears as they took to the sidewalks, mixing in with the intimidating crowd. He felt his pulse in his ears as they passed animals and humans alike, dropping his gaze to the ground every time a predator walked by, which was every two seconds due to the heavy foot traffic.

He stifled dry coughs as Sonic waved to anyone they came across without a fear in the world. It was just so _bizarre_. They were rodents at the bottom of the food chain! And yet, Sonic was exchanging greetings with lions, tigers, and bears with his head held high.

Friendly smiles were sent Silver’s way too; he ignored them, casting his stare to the sidewalk and walking closer to Sonic’s side. He felt bad hearing Sonic explain over and over again that he was really shy and sick to make up for his standoffish behavior, but Silver couldn’t help it. This was too new and _strange_.

“Hey.” Silver was jolted out of his thoughts by a whisper. Sonic had slowed down so they were walking side-by-side. There was a calming smile on the speedster’s face that made Silver’s tense muscles unconsciously loosen. “Relax a bit, yeah? I’m sure some people believe that I’m kidnapping you because of the way you’re shakin’ like a leaf,” he lightly teased.

Silver didn’t even know he had been. He took deep breaths to combat the trembling – Sonic was there with him. Nothing was going to happen. Nothing was going to happen – before deflecting some of the blame.

He kept his eyes on Sonic, blocking out everything as they went in order to stay strong. “Well, you kinda did.” He huffed before lightly shaking the wrist Sonic continued to hold. “And you were dragging me too.”

“Huh?” Sonic glanced down at their hands before scoffing. “Yeah, I probably didn’t make it look any better.” Silver sucked in a breath when the grip loosened, and he automatically regretted opening his mouth. “The place isn’t that far away, so stick close-”

“You don’t have to let go!” Silver said a little too forcefully, since Sonic blinked in surprise a him. Silver reined himself back in, controlling the bout of fear that accompanied the loss of contact. He was in a new place surrounded by strangers; he couldn’t lose Sonic if they were touching.

Silver’s brain raced as he fumbled over his words. “I mean um…” The image of the wolf and chicken holding hands from earlier popped in his mind. He had also seen more people doing that as they passed, so it was normal, right? “I really don’t want to get lost out here-” He intertwined their fingers, meeting no resistance. “-so can’t we do this? No one will think you’re taking me hostage.”

He breathily chuckled, hiding the jitters he had from being thrust into this situation, but his laughter died off at Sonic’s lack of response. Silver paused in his stride because Sonic stilled, the speedster seemingly distracted by their hands.

“Sonic?” Silver ventured, causing the other to snap to attention like he’d been slapped. That was the opposite of a normal reaction, and Silver’s brow creased. “Is this not okay?” he tentatively asked because he had to be doing something wrong for Sonic to be acting like that. “I just saw other people doing it and I thought…”

“No, it’s…it’s fine.” Sonic had to look away from the relief that flooded Silver’s expression, the strange feeling in his chest and the subtle squeeze Silver gave his hand was almost too much. It was fine, wasn’t it? Silver wanted to do this so he wouldn’t get swept away by the crowd, which was perfectly reasonable. And he couldn’t have said no; the open vulnerability had been out of place on Silver’s face.

This was okay, but it would be better if Silver’s smile wasn’t so…so…

Sonic didn’t allow his brain to finish that thought. He faced the other again, sending Silver a lopsided grin as he pointed down the street. “Let’s keep it moving, shall we? The surprise isn’t far!”

“This better be as good as you’re hyping it up to be.” Silver sniffed when Sonic started forward, more at ease than earlier. Sonic himself felt lighter now that Silver didn’t seem like he completely regretted stepping out of the house.

“You just gotta wait and see!” the speedster replied jollily, fighting to ignore how well their hands molded together.

Sonic led the way as they weaved around curious citizens, some of them double-taking at the sight of the hedgehog pair. Sonic simply smiled and waved because it’s normal for friends to hold hands. There was nothing weird about it especially when one friend had not one clue about social norms.

They reached their destination in under a minute, and Sonic happily breathed out when he pushed open a glass door, numerous savory smells hitting his nose at once.

The ambient mumble of the city had been replaced by soft music and the occasional chatter of the other occupants of the space. Sonic looked around, noticing a few people ordering food at the register, some waiting to the side until their order is ready, and a good number eating at booths lining the walls of the small coffee shop.

“What is this place?” Silver’s eyes were wide as they gazed around in awe. Sonic didn’t think the shop was anything special – just your regular homey café – but he could understand the wonder. This was Silver’s first time being in one, after all.

“It goes by many names: a coffee shop, a café, Moonbucks, but most importantly…” Sonic swept his arm out to gesture to the whole space. “Your surprise!”

Silver didn’t know how to take this drop of information. “You got me a coffee shop?”

Sonic snickered, pulling Silver along as he went to snag an empty table. “Not quite!” Silver followed without a fuss and stared at Sonic curiously when he ushered him into a booth. The blue hero let go of his hand to point at the register. “I’m gonna get the surprise right now. Sit tight while I go order, ‘kay?”

Silver was suddenly hyperaware of everything around him, and fear gripped his heart. He forgot all about the pleasant atmosphere and focused on the hyena reading a magazine in the corner, an eagle conversing with a falcon, and a seal sweeping the floors while humming along with the song.

“I’ll go with you!” Silver rushed out, making a move to stand up.

Sonic put a comforting hand on his shoulder to keep him seated. He smiled, hoping to take away some of Silver’s panic. “It’s alright, Silv! It’s going to take me all of five minutes, and you can watch me from here.” The white hedgie bit his lip in concern; Sonic had the urge to scratch behind one of his ears, but they were out in public. That surely would rise too many questions.

So instead, he patted Silver’s shoulder a few times for good measure. “No one’s gonna bother you. Trust me on this.”

“I always trust you,” was Silver’s immediate response, and Sonic shouldn’t be surprised at this revelation. Silver’s smile was wobbly yet genuine before he scanned the shop for all of the possible dangers. “It’s just that I don’t trust anyone else.”

“Yeah, that’s kinda obvious.” Sonic teased, receiving a weak glare in return. He gently squeezed Silver’s shoulder before letting his hand drop. “But if _I_ trust them not to hurt you, isn’t that enough?”

Silver’s thoughts stalled at that, hesitant. There was a war in his head, his instincts and his trust clashing mercilessly.

Sonic saw his internal struggle, adding, “And if something does happen – I’m not saying that it will – I’ll be back by your side in a heartbeat. There’s no need to worry.”

That seemed to tip the war in one side’s favor. Knowing that Sonic would protect him was more than enough. After one more scan of the quaint shop and its patrons, Silver released a shaky breath and nodded. “I’ll wait.”

Sonic grinned, happy for this important step forward. Silver would break out of his shell in no time at this rate. “I’ll be back in a jiffy!”

The white hedgehog resisted the urge to reach out when the speedster jogged over to the counter, instead wringing his fingers together on the tabletop. This was fine. Silver could see Sonic cheerfully starting up conversation with one of the people in line, a human. The line wasn’t too long; Sonic should order within the next minute or so.

There was little chance of someone attacking him in the next sixty seconds. Hopefully.

Silver was careful to avoid eye contact with anybody else, quietly observing Sonic as he crept closer to the register. However, Silver tensed when a ferret entered the shop and ambled up behind the hero. Sonic was the opposite. He warmly greeted the girl like she wasn’t one of the hedgehog’s natural predators. She lit up, pulled out her phone, and asked for a picture.

They took one together, and Silver’s concern melted into confusion when she giggled and gave Sonic a surprise hug. He was perplexed about the interaction, sure, and also about how something inside of him stirred. He had no clue what it was, but the hug – even though it barely lasted a few seconds – didn’t settle right with him. Maybe-

A tickling sensation suddenly attacked his nose, and he was too distracted to react in time. He managed to get his hand halfway up, but it only helped in muffling the sneeze.

Silver’s body froze when he levitated out of his seat. His breath hitched as he hastily hooked his arms underneath the table to keep himself from floating up to the ceiling. His panting was harsh as he panicked, applying more force until his legs met the seat again.

He didn’t have the luxury of calming down though, for the subtle glow was hadn’t disappeared and he still felt completely weightless.

Frantic eyes darted over to where Sonic was only to find the speedster talking to the human behind the counter, oblivious to Silver’s troubles. He desperately wanted to call out, but that would result in having all attention put on him. Silver would like to say that Sonic could take on roughly six predators at once, but he couldn’t say for sure.

So instead, Silver frantically came up with ideas to stop the use of his powers. How did he keep them in check earlier? Tails being a distraction had set Sonic free and being calmed down worked when he had launched himself into the air. All he had to do was relax.

Which was easier said than done.

He swallowed thickly before attempting to soothe his jackhammering heart. He imagined the first relaxing thing that came to mind, mentally reverting back to his small hedgehog self. He was curled up on Sonic’s chest, a steady heartbeat lulling him to sleep as a finger gently petted him between his ears.

Silver’s eyes slipped closed when the memory morphed into another. He was cradled up in Sonic’s arms now, comforting warmth surrounding him from all sides. He buried further into the hold, and the resulting chuckle sent vibrations through his body that-

“Silver?”

Said hedgehog nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his name, eyes flying open. Sonic eyed him as he plopped down on the other side of the booth. He placed the tray he had on the tabletop before asking, “You alright over there?”

Some of Silver’s nerves went away in the hero’s presence. “Yeah, I just-” The rest of his words died out when he realized that his blue aura was gone, and he was planted firmly in his seat with no threat of being stuck to the ceiling. He gasped, lifting his arms and examining them. “I did it!”

Sonic, who had been trying to figure out why Silver was falling asleep at the table, cocked his head in confusion. “Did what?”

A couple coughs escaped Silver’s mouth before he explained, “I sneezed and I forgot to cover my mouth, but I stopped my powers by myself!”

His excitement was contagious, for Sonic attentively leaned forward in his seat. “Really? That’s awesome, Silv!” Maybe those powers of his wouldn’t be a problem for too long after all. “How’d you do it?”

“I just needed to calm down. I remembered all the times we cuddled together, and that seemed to do the trick.” Silver sheepishly admitted as he lowered his arms, gaze switching to focus on the tray between them. “Is this my surprise?”

Sonic was glad for the change of subject – and for the fact that Silver wasn’t a loud talker – because the mental image of them cuddling together _now_ threatened to paint his cheeks pink.

Fighting the blush, Sonic slid the tray a bit closer to Silver, who scanned the items on it. “Sure is!” He pointed to the two round breakfast foods on a thin plate. “I got cream-cheese bagels for you and me, and-” He smirked at the couple of tall cups adorned with bendy straws. “-well, I’ll let you sip that first to see.”

Silver judged one of the glass cups, taking in its thick texture and pink tint. He glanced back over to Sonic, and he did a ‘go on’ gesture. Beyond curious, Silver picked up the cup and noted the chill of it. He stared at the straw next, unsure with how it worked, until Sonic held his own pink drink and sucked it up the plastic tube.

Silver tentatively copied his actions, and when the flavor hit his tongue, shocked golds met smug emeralds.

Sonic swallowed his own strawberry-banana smoothie with a snicker. “Pretty cool surprise, right?”

Silver didn’t answer him, instead groaning as he drank more of his fruity flavored beverage. Sonic blocked out that guttural noise as best he could, going in for a bite of his bagel to keep his mind occupied.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever _tasted!_ ” Silver finally exclaimed after downing a third of the cup. He looked over the present again with a newfound glint in his eyes. “What’s in this? I taste strawberries, but there’s something else.”

“It’s got bananas mixed in there too,” Sonic said around the bread in his mouth. “And milk, and like…ice or something.”

Silver had stopped listening after he mentioned bananas, going back in for a round two.

Sonic absently sloshed his smoothie around, shaking his head in amusement as Silver went to town. When the half of the drink disappeared at a rapid rate however, he grew concerned. “Hey, don’t drink it so fast because you’ll-”

Sonic paused when Silver violently winced, slamming his cup on the table with one hand, cradling his forehead with another with a pained hiss.

“-get a brain freeze.”

Silver whined when his head decided to rebel against him, hating that his joy also caused him so much pain. It wasn’t fair. “Why…didn’t you tell me before…?”

Sonic felt bad, but the discomfort should go away soon enough. “You looked like you were havin’ such a good time!”

Silver’s pointed look lost some effectiveness when a whimper accompanied it.

Sonic sent him a smile, resisting the urge to run his fingers through bleached quills. “The feeling will pass! Eatin’ your bagel and, y’know, _not_ downing your smoothie like it’s the last thing you’ll ever drink should help.”

“You’re the worst,” Silver weakly muttered as he abandoned his strawberry treasure and took a small nibble of the bagel. It wasn’t fruity perfection, but it was tasty enough.

Sonic smirked. “Nah, I’m the nicest, remember?”

Silver didn’t argue that like he expected. “Yeah, you still are,” he uttered with a subtle twist of his lips.

Sonic scoffed, sipping his smoothie at a more sedate pace. It still was weird to hear it, but it wasn’t a jarring as the first time.

It didn’t fail to warm him up inside, though.

“So…” Sonic leisurely started, aiming to get his friend’s mind off the pain. “Got any questions about…anything? Our world? The city? The recipe to the perfect chili dog?”

Silver slowly leaned back in the booth, licking some cream-cheese off his finger. Thinking was harder with his brain fighting the whole process, but he somehow managed. “Um…” His gaze flickered over to the seal who was now cleaning the windows. “I know about Tails, but do you have any more friends…like him?”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was talking about. “Yeah, I know a larger-than-life cat, a trio of birds-” Whether they were all friends was questionable. “-a bat if that counts, a crocodile-”

“A _crocodile?!_ ” Silver looked ready to faint then in there. However, his state of dismay blew over quickly when his brow creased. “Wait, a crocodile?” The gears in his mind was turning. “Is his name…Victor?”

“It’s Vector!” Sonic corrected, sitting straighter in his seat. “But how did you almost…?” Then it hit him. Silver had been in his home listening to _everything_ for months. “You must’ve heard us talking about him!” At Silver’s thoughtful nod, Sonic leaned his elbows on the table while pursing his lips. “So this means that you’ve seen at least Amy and Knuckles, right?”

After pink and red faces associated themselves with those names, Silver replied, “A hedgehog and an echidna…” Sonic perked up, and he knew that he was correct. “I’ve seen them a couple times I think.”

“Oh man, we gotta introduce you to them! And everybody eventually!” Sonic scratched his nose in thought. “But are they gonna believe that you once could fit in the palm of my hand?”

Silver smiled at his enthusiasm, his brain freeze slowly but surely running its course. “I mean, they have to, right? You don’t have a small hedgehog anymore. And I don’t think they’ll pass me having the same name off as a coincidence.”

Sonic grinned. “True that! Their faces will be priceless!”

Silver wanted to be as eager, but, “None of your friends with sharp teeth will attack me, right?”

The speedster rolled his eyes. “The only person who might attack you is Cream with hugs. She’s a bunny.”

Silver brightened. “Oh, yeah! I know Cream! She came over a couple times and played with me.”

Sonic rose a brow at him, his grin taking on a jeering edge. “You remember her? You gotta remember Cheese too then.” He stifled his chortles when Silver pouted, biting a little harder into his bagel. “Don’t be like that! He was just playing around with you.”

“No, he was _chasing_ me. There’s a difference.” Silver huffed. “And my stubby little legs couldn’t even go that fast.”

Sonic couldn’t hold in his laughter that time.

* * *

 

Sonic breathed in the fresh air as he stepped out of the coffee shop, feeling the sun’s warm rays on his face. After a moment, he peered over his shoulder at Silver. The white hedgehog was scanning the area, which contained less pedestrians as before. The morning rush had calmed.

“What do you wanna do know, Silv?” Sonic asked, catching the other’s attention. “Go back home and do boring stuff some more, or explore this exciting city?”

One option sounded very tempting despite the wording of it, but Silver was reluctant. Sonic obviously desired to stay out and show him the sights, and he didn’t want to be the one to drain the hero of that cheerful energy.

Sonic was going to stay by his side the whole time, so why not?

Silver held his gaze as he reached for the hero’s hand. “Let’s ex-” The rest of his sentence was drowned out by loud sirens blaring. “What?” Silver marginally recoiled, whipping his head in the direction of the noise.

Sonic did as well, squinting in the distance when not one, not two, but _six_ firetrucks rounded the corner. They careened down the street, any car in their way wisely veering into other lanes.

Sonic wondered why all those trucks were needed, but he found his answer when he located where they were heading. In the distance was a _huge_ plume of smoke rising into the sky. The source was hidden behind tall buildings, but flickers of orange flames could still be seen over the towering roofs.

Just how _big_ was this fire?

The speedster felt his heroic senses kicking in, his gut twisting at the sight. “Hold that thought, Silver!” he said before grabbing his stunned friend’s wrist. “We gotta go check this out!”

Any protest died on Silver’s lips, him being yanked off his feet. He yelled when his world blurred once more. His eyes threatened to close against the onslaught of wind, but he managed to keep them squinted.

They were crossing city blocks in the matter of seconds, turning corners on the drop of a dime. This was Silver’s second time experiencing Sonic’s speed first-hand, and he was no closer to being used to it.

He wasn’t ready for when everything jerked to a halt, stumbling when he was grounded again. Getting over the sheer rush of adrenaline, Silver was soon preoccupied with the screaming and terrified shouts that met his ears.

He would look around to see who the voices belonged to, but his eyes were fixated on one thing. The three-story high blaze in front of them engulfed an entire building, unnaturally warming Silver’s front. Everything inside of him was yelling to run away because this was _dangerous_ , but Sonic still had a grip on his wrist.

Silver clasped a shaky hand on the speedster’s shoulder, ears plastered against his head. “S-Sonic, we can’t be here. We could get hurt, we gotta-”

“Sonic!” Silver was interrupted by a loud wail. Both hedgehogs turned to see a disheveled woman sprinting towards them. The human was covered in soot, and tears were streaming down her face. She pointed to the burning building, arm violently trembling. Her sobs were nearly incomprehensible. “M-M-My son! H-He’s-”

Sonic understood enough though. He knew he had to do something. They had beat the fire trucks here, and the building could be on its last legs. “What floor?” he barked out in haste.

“S-Second!” she answered as she fell to her knees, begging, “Please save him, _p-please!_ ”

Sonic bypassed anymore conversation, about to dart forward into the inferno. A tight grip on his upper arm kept him rooted to the spot though. His attention snapped to the one holding him back only to meet the most horrified expression he had ever seen.

Silver’s eyes were blown wide, and he was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. His voice was no better. “D-Don’t! We need to _g-go_ , Sonic! You’ll get _hurt_ if you go in there!”

Sonic jerked Silver’s hand off of him as gently as he could. He hated leaving him alone, but he had no other choice. “Just stay _here_ , okay Silver? I’ll be back!”

“No!” Silver tried to grab him again, but his fingers touched nothing but heated air.

Sonic pushed his legs as he sprinted past petrified onlookers. He disregarded the front entrance altogether when he reached the burning building, instead leaping up high and curling into himself with his quills bristled.

He smashed through a window on the second story easily, the glass weakened by the smothering heat that instantly swallowed Sonic up. He landed in a kneel and yelped when the scorching tile underneath burned his knee.

The yelp turned into dry coughs as he stood up, covering his nose and mouth with his glove to minimize smoke inhalation. He didn’t know how well the filter would work because the stuff was _everywhere._

The air was saturated with the black smog, blanketing the ceiling and refusing Sonic to see more than five feet in front of him. What wasn’t trapped in a dark haze was lit up a blazing orange. The desks and upturned chairs around him were nothing but food for the fire.

More coughs wracked Sonic’s system, the constriction of his chest a clear reminder that he was on a timer. If the crackling blaze and missing child wasn’t enough.

Desperate to find the son, he took a deep breath, lifted his hand, and called out, “Hello? Can anyone hear me?!”

His only answer was a thundering rumble up above that caused pieces of the ceiling to rain down. The building was falling apart, and that thought ran a chill down his back despite the insane temperatures.

He had to find that kid _now._

Sonic jogged forward with his mouth covered, eyes sharp to avoid the discarded office furniture and supplies littered all over the place. He wiped his face with his free hand because sweat was already beginning to drip.

His breaths were harsh as he squinted against the smoke to find any sign of life. It was a futile effort, for the suffocating smoke only thickened as time went on.

He stopped moving after a handful of seconds, the window he entered from not visible anymore. “Answer if you can hear me!” he shouted as loud as his lungs allowed him; some of his words were swallowed up by roar of the fire.

Sonic gritted his teeth when nothing responded. He didn’t let the fear-fueled desperation get to him. He had to keep moving because he had no idea how big this floor was, the location of the kid, if he was even _conscious-_

The speedster gasped when the roof overhead groaned and shattered. He didn’t waste time looking up, dashing out of the way before he was buried under burning debris.

The crash boomed behind him, and Sonic peered over his shoulder to see the remains of a flaming desk where he had been standing. He barely had the chance to think about how strangely fast the fire was eating away at the structure of the building before he was sent sprawling to the ground.

His arms instinctively reached out to catch his fall, and they succeeded, but not before Sonic’s face slammed into the metallic leg of a sideways chair.

He couldn’t keep in his pained shout as his cheek blistered. Sonic rolled off the chair and stood up fast as lightning, fingers featherlight as they cradled his burned cheek.

Sonic wheezed as he inhaled more smoke, the sharp sting in his face causing his eyes to unconsciously water. He’d been in many fires in his day, but this was…

The blaze was _everywhere_ , there was too much smoke, nothing was safe to touch, and the place couldn’t have been burning for long. The firetrucks _just_ had been notified, so it shouldn’t be this _intense._

Sonic sucked in a shallow breath when his ears detected something the flames tried to cover up. He didn’t know if he imagined it or not, but the sound was nothing like the fire, or the creaking office, or the-

“-in here!”

He snapped his head to the right, heart leaping. The words were faint, but they were _there._ Clearing his throat, he threw his voice. “In where? Where are you?!”

More rumbling above nearly drowned the answer out. “-bathroom!”

“I’m coming!” Sonic took off in that direction, extra careful of his steps next time. His eyes were peeled as he hurdled over abandoned desks and swerved around flickering flames. “Keep talking so I can find you!”

“I-I’m in the boy’s room!” Sonic veered a bit to the right, slowing his stride as the voice grew in volume. The trembles in his words were becoming more prominent, and so were the coughs from the kid. “It’s g-getting hard to breathe…”

“Just hang in there!” Sonic skid to a stop when he reached a wall before running along it. _It couldn’t be too far away…here it is!_ When Sonic found the door, he kicked it open so hard that it slammed against the wall adjacent to it.

Sonic stepped into the bathroom, the visibility in here better than the main floor, but not by much. The smoke was thick, masking the flickering lights above. The fire hadn’t spread here yet, but chunks of the ceiling steadily bounced against the floor.

A gasp tore his attention from the environment to the hunched over form tucked in the corner of the bathroom, wedged over the sink. “S-Sonic the Hedgehog! You c-came to rescue me?”

“Heck yeah!” Sonic trotted over to the boy and held out a hand. The kid didn’t seem older than eight, his grip weak as Sonic helped him to his feet. He had soot all over his clothes and stringy brown hair. Sonic’s lips twisted downwards at the mild burns on the kid’s arms. “It’s time to get outta here. Your mom’s waitin’ outside!”

The boy was too happy to verbally respond, eyes glossy as he nodded.

Sonic threw him a comforting grin before searching around the space. He zeroed in on the window, an idea forming. Going back the way he came was too risky, so this would have to do.

The hero bounded over to the glass and clenched a fist. He punched the glass, shaking out his hand when a shard cut his knuckles. Ignoring the blood on his glove, Sonic appreciated the cooler air that blew in as he peered out the newly formed hole in the wall.

More people had gathered around the burning building, but they had been pushed back by the horde of firemen that had arrived, preparing their hoses.

Sonic stepped back and smiled at the coughing boy behind him. “We gotta take a bit of a leap to get out of here. Do you trust me?”

The boy nodded again, smearing soot on his face as he wiped his eyes.

Sonic zipped over the kid and grunted as he gathered him in his arms. “Hold on tight!”

“O-Okay!”

Sonic crouched to ready himself before sprinting ahead and jumping out of the window. The rush of wind stung his raw cheek, but he shifted his focus off that, wanting to make a smooth landing.

There were cheers when Sonic touched down, squatting to reduce the stress on his knees. The firefighters nodded appreciatively as he let the child stand. Sonic gave them a thumbs up that was interrupted by a hug.

“Th-Thank you, Sonic!” The boy sniffed. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t come for me!”

Sonic chuckled when the other pulled back. “Don’t think about that, ‘kay? You’re safe and sound! That’s the only thing that matters!”

“Will? Willy!” Sonic and the kid turned to see the mom rushing over, her arms held out wide. She picked up her son in one swift motion, embracing him tightly. “I’m so sorry I left you alone! I bring you in to see how mommy works and _this_ is what happens!”

“Y-You didn’t know!” the son rebutted before returning the hug.

The mom then gave Sonic an appreciative smile, her mascara running. “Thank you _so_ much for saving him…”

“Anytime.” Sonic’s expression was warm. After glancing at Will’s arms, he added, “You might want to get those burns checked out. Don’t want them to get worse!” She nodded and gushed out more ‘thank you’s as she strolled away.

When she disappeared into the crowd, Sonic’s smile slipped when a certain white hedgehog was nowhere to be seen. Emerald orbs swiveled over to the burning building – watching as it was attacked by pressurized torrents of water – before shaking his head. Silver wasn’t in there.

Sonic began to search for his other half in the crowd, calling out his name because he _wasn’t_ in the office building. He was out here, safe and sound. He swallowed thickly as he weaved through the onlookers, asking some of them if they had seen a white hedgehog around.

Most of his answers were no, but the one yes he got released all the tension in his shoulders. The monkey he asked pointed to a curled-up ball that was separate from everyone else. “Is that who you’re looking for?”

“Yeah!” Sonic breathed out as he trotted off. “Thanks!”

He slowed once he closed the distance, able to see Silver’s trembles as he tightly held his knees. Silver had his head tucked, so Sonic had to announce his presence.

Stopping in front of the obviously scared hedgie, Sonic softly started, “Hey Silv, it’s-” He couldn’t finish his sentence. Silver’s head shot up at the sound of his voice, and Sonic’s train of thought derailed at the sight of blood-shot eyes and streaming tears.

He was then sent stumbling back when Silver nearly tackled him. Sonic could only blink when shaking arms hooked around his neck, heart-wrenching sobs being cried into his shoulder.

The raw emotion took Sonic’s breath away along with the crushing embrace. He understood though, the guilt eating away at him. He didn’t regret what he did because the kid was now safe with his family, but still…

Sonic wrapped his arms around Silver, bringing him closer. The movement only intensified Silver’s cries; tears dampened his azure fur.

“I’m _so_ sorry, Silver,” Sonic muttered. “Sorry I had to leave, but I’m back, okay? I’m here.” Silver’s broken whimpers continued to weaken him, and Sonic figured that he had to calm the other down for both of their sakes. He glimpsed at the building, its flames steadily dwindling down. It was safe to say that the firefighters had it from here. “Want to go home?”

The sobs reduced to hiccups as Silver wordlessly nodded. The white hedgehog moved out of the hug, sniffling as he wiped his damp face now stained with ash. “I was so scared…” he started, the beginnings of another sob cracking his voice. “When you went in there, I didn’t _know_ if…if you would…”

“But I did.” Sonic animatedly gestured to himself, wanting to lift Silver’s mood. “And all in one piece too!”

Silver’s frown didn’t let up as he focused on a specific part of Sonic’s face. “Doesn’t matter.” His mumble was heavy with emotion. “You still got hurt.”

“Oh what, this?” Sonic grazed the burn on his cheek and hid the resulting wince. He waved Silver off. “This is nothing! I do this kind of stuff all the time, so I’m used to getting a little banged up.”

“Seriously?” Silver’s attention hadn’t drifted from the burn, his frown deepening. “Don’t tell me that…”

Sonic chuckled. “As much as I appreciate you worrying about me over stuff like this, don’t. Because we don’t need a river of tears flooding the streets. Swimming’s not my forte.”

The snort the came after was nothing but a shallow puff of air, but Sonic caught it anyway. Silver shook his head and sniffled, trying and failing to hide his hint of amusement. “Don’t make me laugh. I’m upset.”

“Not anymore!” Sonic mentally gave himself a pat on the back when the white hedgehog rolled his moistened eyes with a cough. The hero then turned on his heel and squatted, smirking back at Silver. “Ready for another ride?”

“Not really…but I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“Nope!”

It wasn’t long until Silver’s screams again echoed across the landscape.


	7. Chapter 7

Silver’s breaths were ragged when Sonic finally set him down on slightly wobbly legs. He fought to ease his hammering pulse as he glanced at the cheeky speedster in askance. “I think you enjoy my fear way too much…”

Sonic opened the front door of the home with a laugh. “There’s a difference between being scared and feelin’ the adrenaline pumping through your veins! You can’t tell me that you didn’t like the winds rushing across your face.”

Silver stepped inside the house after Sonic with his mouth ready to answer, but he couldn’t bring himself to disagree. It was a major shock to the system; however, the rush wasn’t completely terrible. It was just a contrast to the slow mundane life Silver had been used to living.

Like everything else that had happened since his transformation.

“Just…” Silver closed the door behind him, expression pleading. “Do you _have_ to go so fast?”

“Absolutely!” Sonic grinned at him. Silver shook his head with a subtle smile on his muzzle. When he sniffed and wiped his nose, smearing some leftover soot, Sonic figured they should get cleaned up before they left tracks everywhere.

He gestured for Silver to follow, knowing he looked ten times worse than Silver. “C’mon, let’s go to the bathroom so we can get this stuff off of us.”

Silver looked down at himself, the ash that had rubbed off of Sonic staining his white fur. He nodded. He didn’t mind being cleaned up, and this would be his first time seeing something other than the living room and the kitchen.

Sonic led the way, and Silver was attentive as he trailed after. Curious golds scanned the hallway they entered, eyeing the doorway the speedster was leading him to.

When the light flickered on in the room, Sonic lowly whistled at their two reflections in the mirror. He was right about being in worse condition than Silver. Even after the run, most of his fur was covered with dark soot. The blistered burn on his cheek hadn’t been so lucky either, dusted with the ash. Yeah, he had to get that taken care of pronto. But first…

“Welcome to the bathroom, Silv!” Sonic animatedly gestured at the small space. “This is where you can wash up-” He nodded at the sink and shower. “-and where you can do your business because wood shavings aren’t gonna cut it anymore,” he finished with a snicker.

The mirth spread to Silver as he peered over at the toilet. “Yeah, that would be a big mess…how does it work though?” A small handle stood out to him, and he reached out for it. His eyes bulged when the toilet flushed. “Whoa! That’s so cool!”

Sonic loved how easy Silver was to please. The bright expression that lit up the room was more at home on his face than the teary sobs that would never come back, if Sonic could help it.

“If you think that’s nifty…” Sonic stepped passed him and pulled back the shower curtain. With a wink, he turned on the faucet, causing water to shoot out of the shower head. “Check this out!” He put a hand on his hip as Silver approached, awed. “The only place where rain is allowed _inside_ the house.”

Silver was too distracted to acknowledge the teasing jab. He reached out and let the warm water flow around his fingers, washing away any remnants of ash. “This is _way_ better than the kitchen sink.”

“I bet so!” Sonic remembered how much Silver squirmed during bath time when he was smaller. It was good to know that Silv hadn’t been traumatized or something.

Sonic jabbed his thumb at the exit. “Take off your shoes and socks and hop in while I get a washcloth so you can wash up.”

“So I can – wait…” Silver looked at him with a crease in his brow. “You’re not going to do it for me? You always do.”

Sonic squashed his imagination before it could run wild. “Well, that’s before you got working fingers!” He smiled reassuringly. “Gotta learn to do it by yourself now.”

“But…” Silver bit his bottom lip, a whine leaking into his voice. “You’re taking a shower with me, though. If you’re there, you can just-”

“Wha? I’m not taking a shower with you!” Sonic’s voice had unconsciously gained an octave or so. Silver blinked at him, examining his dirtied state, and the speedster calmed himself down enough to say, “I mean, I _am_ gonna take one.” He pointed to his burn. “But I gotta take care of this first, and then I’ll jump in.”

It was clear that Silver still wasn’t a fan of the idea, but he relented. “Oh, okay. I do have to learn this stuff eventually…”

“Glad we’re on the same page!” Sonic chirped, though his smile somewhat waned at the crushing disappointment on the other’s face. The blue hero shifted his weight toward the door before the puppy-dog eyes got to him. “I’ll be back in a sec!”

He stepped out the bathroom as Silver went to take off his shoes. Yeah, washing a pet hedgehog with a toothbrush was _way_ different than washing an actual person. First of all, it would be awkward, and secondly-

“Hey, Sonic! How was-” After getting over the sudden surprise at Tails’ voice, Sonic peered over in the direction of the living room. His little bro was standing at the mouth of the hallway, giving the speedster’s condition a once-over. A beat passed, and Tails frowned as he approached. “You weren’t even gone for that long! What happened?”

Sonic sheepishly grinned. Before he responded however, he saw Silver tense up in the corner of his eye. Sonic closed the bathroom door and explained, “Well, an office building was on fire, and I had to save the day!” He brushed his burn with a finger. “Left with a parting gift, but what else is new?”

“A fire?” Tails gasped, throwing the door fleeting looks. “What about Silver? Did he get involved? Is he hurt? I _knew_ that he shouldn’t have-”

“Calm down, bud!” Sonic would’ve clapped a calming hand on the other’s shoulder, but he was sure Tails wouldn’t appreciate the black handprint left behind. “Silv’s fine! He stayed away from the commotion.” Sonic nodded over to the bathroom. “He just got a bit of ash on him because I think piggybacking is the _best_ mode of travel when accompanying me.”

Worry rolled off Tails’ shoulders, and he chuckled with Sonic. “Yeah, I think I heard his yells when you guys came back.” He took an extra breath to calm his nerves before asking, “So, what about his powers? Any hiccups there?”

“Well…” Tails opened his mouth to scold, and Sonic held up a hand with a snicker. “Let me explain! I took him to a café, got him a strawberry-banana smoothie – which he _loved_ , by the way – and apparently his powers activated when I was in line.”

Tails furrowed his brow. “Apparently? You didn’t see it?”

“Nope, because Silver stopped using it by himself!” Sonic couldn’t be any prouder. “Isn’t that awesome?”

“Whoa…” Tails breathed out, awed. “He _just_ unlocked them! How did he do it?”

Sonic spared the kit the rather…embarrassing details and shrugged. “He said that all he had to do was calm himself down.”

“That’s it?” Tails cradled his chin. “So the power’s connected to his emotions, and that makes sense because it seems to be telekinesis. Silver’s full of surprises…”

“Speakin’ of surprises, how’s the research on the cat food?” Sonic segued, wanting to know any new info.

Tails perked up. “Oh! I actually made some progress! I finally found the owner of the company, but only surface stuff, like name and email and stuff like that. Nothing about what happened. I shot him an email asking if he’d share because our pet had some weird side-effects after eating the food.”

Sonic barked out a laugh. “That’s one way to put it! Hopefully he’ll hit us up because yeah, this is too bizarre to just sweep under the rug.” He and Tails then nearly jumped out of their skin when a loud thud sounded from inside the adjacent room.

The speedster didn’t waste any time in swinging the door open, wide eyes snapping up to the one thing out of place. Tails peeked inside and slowly blinked.

Silver was plastered against the roof, his wet fur dripping into the tub below. He seemed the most shaken up, stiffly looking from the raining water, to Tails, and finally to Sonic.

He worked his mouth before eventually uttering, “I sneezed.”

“Yeah, kinda put that together.” Sonic slowly grinned. “Need my help gettin’ down, or you got it?”

“…Give me a second.”

* * *

 

Silver wished that Sonic would hurry up. Sure, he knew Sonic was covered in ash basically from head to toe, but he had superspeed. Showers should be an ‘in and out’ thing for him, right?

Silver actually didn’t know how long Sonic had been in there, but it felt like he’d been sitting with Tails for an eternity.

The hedgehog was stiff on one side of the living room couch with the fox occupying the opposite end. Tails was watching something on the TV called a cartoon; Silver was too paranoid to give it any attention.

He was at war with himself again. His instincts were screaming at him that Tails was a vicious killer biding his time for the right moment to pounce, but then again, _no one_ had attacked him yet. Not on the sidewalks, not in the café, and not when Sonic had left him alone during the fire. None of those full-grown predators had targeted him, and neither had Tails. The kid was concerned if he’d been hurt…

Silver released a shaky breath. Tails was Sonic’s friend for a reason. And it’s true that the kit had been trying to be friends with him from the very beginning. Silver couldn’t remember Tails doing anything bad to him, no matter how hard he tried.

Maybe…Maybe it was time to stop being scared.

If push came to shove, he could defend himself with a sneeze.

Steeling himself, Silver stuttered, “D-Does Sonic…” He inhaled harshly when Tails faced him, surprise swirling in those blue eyes. He pushed on. “Run into fires often?”

Tail was so flabbergasted that Silver had willingly spoken to him that he almost missed the question. Once the words registered, he softly smiled. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but yeah.” Silver’s ears lowered, and Tails scrambled to fix the atmosphere. “He’s a hero, Silver. He runs into fires, explosions, dangerous theme parks, lairs filled with robots, you name it! He’ll do _anything_ to save someone in danger.” Tails rubbed the back of his neck. “And I help out too whenever I can!”

Tails had been right, Silver _didn’t_ want to hear that. Sonic seemed like the type to sprint into a situation without thinking about any painful risks, and he knew that his heart couldn’t take it.

At the silence he received – concern was written all over Silver’s face – Tails hopped up, causing the other to tense. He smiled in apology. “I’ll be right back!”

Silver confusedly watched as he ran out of the living room. Not that he minded the disappearance, but the suddenness of it made his curiosity skyrocket. He didn’t have to wait for long, Tails reappearing with a large tablet in his hands.

He cheerfully waved the device. “I know you’re worried about Sonic, but he’s a pro at what he does, really! Wanna watch a couple of his battles? There has to be a few circling around on the internet…”

The last thing Silver wanted to see was Sonic getting hurt; however, his interest was too high and he was now realizing how complicated _not_ being a small hedgehog was going to be. He’d never felt this conflicted so many times before.

His hesitance must’ve shown on his face, for Tails giggled. “It’s not going to be bad, promise!” The kit looked at the spot right next to Silver, gently asking, “Can I sit by you?”

Silver was ready to be on friendlier terms with the kit but being so close to his personal bubble – aka within lunging range – was pushing it.

He didn’t get the opportunity to decline the offer because loud knocks on the front door caught both of their attentions. Silver’s breath caught in his throat, wondering whether Sonic would mind if he hid in the shower with him.

Tails tilted his head, placing the tablet on the couch. “I wonder who that could be?”

“Sonic? Tails? Is anybody home?”

Silver gasped. He knew that voice. “Amy?”

Tails frowned at him until comprehension flooded his features. “Right, you would know who Amy is! She’s been here plenty of times for you to recognize her.” He took a step toward the door before pausing. “Are you ready to meet her? We can wait if you aren’t comfortable.”

“I’m ready!” Silver wouldn’t object to having another hedgehog around. Plus, she was extremely nice and bright. He appreciated the treats she occasionally snuck him.

Tails expected the change in demeaner, given that Silver was still following some of his instincts. Well, at least progress was being made. That was a great sign.

He beamed at Silver before bounding over to the door. He swung it open and waved at the bubbly pinkette. “Hey, Amy! What brings you here?”

Amy smoothed out any subtle wrinkles in her dress. “I just wanna know what you guys are up to today!”

“Nothing much,” Tails answered even though it was the complete opposite. “But we do have someone we’d like you to meet!”

“Oh?” Amy was thrown aback for a moment until she leaned forward in interest. “Really? Those are the same words you said when-” She gasped, eyes lighting up. “Did you get another pet? Another hedgehog? I need to see!”

“Not quite!” Tails chirped and stepped back, gesturing to the attentive hedgie on the couch. “Amy, meet Silver!”

The pinkette strolled into the home and locked gazes with Silv. She met the shy smile sent her way with a genial wave. “Your name’s Silver? That’s so weird! Sonic and Tails have a pet hedgehog with the same…” She cut herself off when the kit smiled a little too widely. “What?”

Tails chuckled, his namesakes swishing behind him. “This _is_ Silver!” Amy slowly blinked, and he explained, “I know it sounds crazy, but yesterday, he transformed into one of us after eating some weird pet food!”

Amy clearly wasn’t buying his words. She stared at him like he’d grown a second head before speaking, lips twitching downwards. “This is a prank, right?” she asked Tails, peering over at Silver’s former home still tucked away in a corner. Finding it empty, Amy scanned the floor around her. “Silver’s in his ball around here somewhere!”

“No, I’m really Silver!” The white hedgehog stood up and gestured to himself, sensing Amy’s doubt. “I-” He shot his arm up to pinch his suddenly itchy nose. He groaned at the fleeting sensation, feeling utterly unsatisfied. He couldn’t wait until he got over this stupid sickness.

A strange clash of uncertainty and concern etched into Amy’s features, and Tails enlightened her, “He caught a cold, and he can’t sneeze because it triggers his telekinesis.”

“Tele…”

“…kinesis?” Silver finished for her after lowering his hand, not knowing what that word meant. He sniffed. “Is that the name of my power?” Tails nodded, and Silver refocused on the appalled Amy. He had to get her to believe him. “But yeah, I transformed, honestly! I’m glad that I get to actually met you, especially to thank you for the treats-”

Tails frowned, giving Amy a sharp look. “You gave him treats too? You knew that we put him on a diet, Amy!”

Despite the situation, the pinkette hastily defended herself. “I know, but could you blame me? He was adorable! And well…” Amy gestured at Silver after a contemplative moment, grinning. “It didn’t even matter!”

Tails huffed. “But still.”

Silver chuckled. He felt freer with Amy here even though Tails didn’t seem as malicious as he previously thought. However, there was no harm in having backup.

“Oh hey, Ames! I knew I heard your voice!”

Silver perked up, any lingering hints of uneasiness fading away when Sonic stepped into the room, his fur void of ash. The speedster smiled as he made his way over. The bandage on his cheek crinkled. “I see you’ve met Silver!”

“Yeah!” She pursed her lips, mock-pouting. “And why didn’t I earlier? Tails said that he turned yesterday! You should’ve told me!”

Sonic scratched his nose, the smile turning apologetic. “Sorry! But we were adjustin’ to the whole thing, y’know? We didn’t want to overwhelm him.”

“You waited until today to do that,” Silver’s half-joking mutter was heard by all, and Tails couldn’t stifle his snickers.

Silver meekly smiled at the kit while Amy rose an amused brow, asking, “Oh no, what did I miss?”

Sonic waved her off. “Nothin’ major! I just took Silver to the city to see the sights, and I had to leave him alone for a bit to run into a burning office building.” Amy deadpanned at him. “It’s not like I caused the fire or anything!”

Amy’s sigh still held traces of mirth. “I know, I know.” She regarded Silver, eyes softening in apology. “And well, if you plan to be around Sonic a lot, you have to learn to expect the unexpected. Like a hundred percent of the time.”

Tails nodded. “Never let your guard down.”

“Seriously? I’m not that bad.” Sonic paused when both Tails and Amy gave him _looks._ “Okay, I might be bad, but not _that_ bad.”

Silver’s smile had slipped by this point, the memory of Sonic running into the fire causing apprehension to bubble in his gut once more. “I guess I have to get used to it, but thinking about Sonic getting hurt…” He trailed off, chewing the inside of his cheek.

“Aw!” Amy cooed while Sonic’s mind shifted through ideas to bring Silver’s mood back up. Amy nudged the psychic. “You’re so precious! But, while it’s natural to feel worried, you’d soon be emotionally _exhausted_ because Sonic probably gets hurt every other week.”

Silver blanched.

“Not seriously though!” she tried to placate.

Tails hastily pointed to the tablet resting on the couch. “Before you got here, Amy, I thought about desensitizing Silver by showing him old fights we were in.”

Sonic really appreciated his genius of a brother. “Great idea, Tails!” He picked up the device and plopped down on the couch. He grinned at Silver and patted at the empty space beside him. Once the other got the message, Sonic searched the internet. “When you see how awesome I am, you’ll forget about everything else!”

The cushions dipped on both sides of him, for they all favored sitting on the sofa. Silver was to his left, Amy was on his right, and Tails settled beside the pinkette.

All eyes were on the screen as he scrolled, trying to find the perfect video.

“Find one during the Westopolis raid!” Amy suggested. “There has to be lots of footage of that!”

Sonic’s gaze flickered over to Silver – his frown was prominent, body already tense – and decided that he wasn’t ready for blood-thirsty aliens and gun-wielding government agents. “I think we should save that one for later.”

“What about your first Chaos fight?” Tails was halfway leaning over Amy’s lap to see. “It was pretty cool, and it’s not too overwhelming.”

“Perfect!” Sonic’s fingers tapped and searched. “You’re about to get a taste of the amazing life of Sonic the Hedgehog, Silv, ready?”

“No, but you’re going to show it to be anyway, so…” Silver’s mumble trailed off as he leaned against Sonic, accepting any comfort he could get. “Just play it.”

Sonic’s brain stuttered at the closeness, rebooting quickly enough for it to go unnoticed. “It’s not gonna be bad!” He gently nudged him with his elbow. “Just tryin’ to help out, y’know?”

“Yeah.” Some warmth shined through the hesitation. “I know.”

Amy saw this interaction and smiled. “Even after the transformation, you guys are still close friends! Literally.” She giggled. “I think I’ve seen Silver on you, Sonic, more times than I’ve seen him in his container. Guess that carried over?”

“It’s not as extreme, though!” Sonic chuckled, managing to keep any embarrassment at bay. “He’s too big to use me as a bed now.”

Silver shook his head. “Not really, because you laid on-”

“Let’s get this clip rollin’, yeah?” The speedster hastily cut him off, for he didn’t know how Amy would react to Sonic using Silver’s chest fur as a pillow. She could somehow take it out-of-context, spread it around to other people (mainly Knuckles) just to embarrass him, or use it as blackmail for later. There were endless possibilities.

Sonic pressed play, and Silver instantly stiffened when Chaos 0 appeared on the screen. No amount of Sonic’s famous one-liners and successful attacks relaxed him, his muscles locking with every hit the hero took. Which wasn’t many, but Silver was anxious nonetheless. Only when the fight was over – Chaos slipping into a drain on the road – that Silver exhaled in relief.

Amy knew that the fear on Silver’s face shouldn’t break her heart as much as it did, but she still saw that little hedgehog scurrying along the floor in the white anthro’s place. “Cheer up, Silver! Sonic won that fight!”

“And even though he did get a little hurt, the Sonic right here is fine!” Tails added, wanting to get him to relax as well.

“That’s right, Silv.” Sonic reassured. “I’m right here! No matter how many hits I take, I always come out on top!”

“…With every fight?”

Sonic couldn’t be any more confident. “With every fight! Right, guys?”

“Right!” Amy and Tails cheerfully affirmed his statement without hesitation, but Silver didn’t look too swayed.

Sonic kept the videos coming, hoping that Silver would loosen up eventually. They seemed to do the opposite however, Silver whining with every robot, missile, and explosion on the screen. The fight marathon came to an end when Silver sneezed, hurling the tablet across the room.

No one was bothered – especially since the device stayed intact – because Silver clearly needed a break.

“Whoa…” Amy breathed out as Tails retrieved the tablet, checking for any dents or scratches. “You weren’t kidding about the telekinesis, Tails!” She turned to Silver, thinking that a change of subject was the best option here. The hedgehog was sniffing, and he had a trembling grip on Sonic’s arm. She was one whimper away from giving him a hug. “So, you can _only_ do it when you sneeze?”

Silver finally felt like he could breathe. He fully realized that Sonic had been winning and even having _fun_ during those fights, but the thought of _all it takes is one bad hit_ kept swirling around in his mind.

He forcefully ousted it out of his mind, processing Amy’s question. “Um. Yeah, I guess?” Up to this point, sneezing was the sole thing that triggered his powers.

Silver’s fingers had relaxed enough so that Sonic could free his arm, instead throwing it around the psychic’s shoulders. Sonic gave him a squeeze, and Silver practically melted into his side. The strange feeling had practically set up resistance in his stomach at this point, it contributing to how better he felt that Silver wasn’t so apprehensive.

“You don’t know that for sure!” Sonic stood up after a moment, pretending he didn’t notice the disappointment in the other’s gaze. “We have to try your new powers out so you can use them on the fly and not only when you’ve been hit by a virus,” he lightly jeered.

Since his support was gone, Silver sat straighter on the cushions, stifling dry coughs. “But how?”

“Well, to start off, do you feel any different when it happens?” Amy scooted closer to him without any protest from the psychic. “Tingly? Light-headed? Anything?”

Silver shook his head after some thought.

Done checking his email – the company owner hadn’t responded yet – Tails stepped up beside Sonic. “That makes things more complicated…” He recalled all the information they knew. “All we have to go off of is that sneezes are a trigger, and being calm helps shut it off.” He frowned. “How do you even find a way to train something like that?”

“Dunno.” Sonic shrugged with a grin pulling at his lips. “But we’ll find a way! How hard could it be?”

* * *

 

“I…think we should call it a day.”

Those words were groaned out as Tails peeled himself from the living room wall, rubbing the back of his head. This was probably the seventh time doing so, and unfortunately, there was no progress to show for it. No amount of concentration or gratuitous amounts of pepper helped Silver get a better grasp of his ability.

“I second that.” Amy struggled to stand up, appearing from behind the flipped couch. She’d lost count of how many times they’ve had to reposition the sofa. “I don’t know how much more your furniture can take, and well…” The pinkette glanced down at the hedgie beside her. Silver was propping himself up with an elbow, rubbing his eyes with his unoccupied hand. He yawned. Mirth leaked into Amy’s tone. “I think he’s overdue for a nap!”

That seemed to shake away some of his tiredness. “Huh? No!” Silver left his red-tinted eyes alone, getting to his feet. The urge to yawn again crept up, but he squashed it down. “I’m not that tired! I want to work on my power so I can use it like Sonic can use his speed.”

“You’ll get there eventually, Silv!” Sonic sat up after being splayed out in the middle of the floor. He rotated a sore shoulder, the result of a particularly rough landing. “We don’t want you to push yourself too hard.” He smirked at Silver’s uncertainty. “And plus, I think the medicine we gave you causes drowsiness. There’s no winnin’ that fight.”

“But-” Silver’s face puckered like he’d tasted a lemon, and the upcoming sneeze was cancelled when Sonic sped over and pinched his nose for him.

Sonic snickered at the betrayed look sent his way. “That’s enough of those!” He lowered his hand, settling it on Silver’s shoulder. “C’mon Silv, let’s take a breather. We have plenty of time to work on it later.” Silver’s resolve crumbled when he patted his shoulder. “Also, are you really about to pass up a good ol’ cat nap?”

Silver couldn’t fight the next yawn. “I guess I could go for one…”

“Then you’ll have the energy to do whatever you want when you wake up!” Sonic beamed. He last thing he wanted was Silver somehow hurting himself in this process. Sonic quickly scanned the living room – particularly the upturned couch – and suggested, “Wanna take my bed? It’s quieter back there than up here.”

The way Silver perked up at the word ‘bed’ was all the answer Sonic needed.

“Have a good nap!” Tails positioned himself by the couch as the duo walked away.

“Hope you feel better when you wake up!” Amy called as she helped the fox upright the sofa.

“Me too,” Silver muttered good-naturedly, lethargically waving. He glanced over at the kit. “And sorry about the furniture…”

“Don’t worry about it!” Tails deflected with a grunt, flipping the couch over. “It’s not your fault, anyway. Sonic’s the one who had the pepper idea.”

“And we _all_ agreed to it!” Sonic defended himself with a smirk before leading the way to his bedroom, Silver shuffling along at his heels.

They passed the bathroom, and Silver’s curiosity peaked as they approached one of the closed doors at the end of the hall. Sonic opened the right and gestured widely. “Welcome to my humble abode! Make yourself at home!”

Silver entered the room, taking in everything. He barely acknowledged the sizable bed and the single dresser off to the side, his golden gaze examining the many plaques, medals, and pictures lining the shelves on the walls.

“They’re all thank-you’s.” Sonic’s expression softened, and it was suddenly more interesting to Silver than the multitude of gifts. The speedster’s smile was warm. His eyes were clouded over as if he was reliving every single picture, replaying the moment he received the medals and plaques. “From saving people who need me the most, y’know?”

Silver gave up hope that Sonic was ever going to stop putting himself in danger.

“Yeah…I’m not surprised that you have so many.”

In that case, he was going to try even harder to get his powers under control. He would be able to help Sonic in any way he could. Sonic had protected him all his life; it was time to return the favor.

Sonic emitted pride. “Of course! I’ve been doin’ this for a while.” He watched as Silver lost interest in his awards, ambling over to the bed. Sonic inwardly chuckled at his zombie-like movements. He zipped over and pulled back the covers. “The mattress is so soft that you’ll fall asleep in five minutes, guaranteed!”

Silver’s grin lacked the usual energy. “I don’t doubt it.” He climbed into the bed, and as soon as his head hit the pillow, a groan escaped him. “Five minutes? I’ll barely last three…”

Silver curled up instantly, burying his face into the pillow. A lopsided smile grew on his muzzle because it was like Sonic was _right there_ holding him in his arms again. Silver covered himself with the blanket, and there was the familiar warmth wrapping him up, secure and firm. The only thing missing was a soothing heartbeat. Silver didn’t think he needed it now though; his eyes had already lost the one-sided battle.

The strange feeling fluttered into Sonic’s chest at the sight, warming him from the inside out. He couldn’t explain why, but Silver in his bed just so _relaxed_ and snug made him feel…he didn’t really know. Accomplished? Relieved? Happy?

It was something positive, for sure. And that positivity only blossomed when Sonic scratched behind a white ear, earning himself a rumbling purr.

He eventually retracted his hand, Silver pleasantly sighing in his sleep.

Silver needed this after the insanity of today, and it was barely half over.

After one more glance at the resting hedgehog, Sonic quietly strolled out of the room and closed the door with a low click.

He returned to the living room and furrowed his brow at the disappearance of Tails and Amy. His first guess was that they made their way to the garage, and it rung true for the sudden slamming of a door out-of-sight made him pause.

Mental alarms blared in his head at the sound of rapid footsteps. Sonic opened his mouth and blinked in shock at the appearance of a panicked Amy and a just as frazzled Tails. Noticing the bag of cat food in Amy’s hand, he ventured, “What-”

“We might have a little problem.” Tails breathed out.

“More than a little!” Amy held up the bag, her grip too tight. “Sonic, I think I made another Silver!”


	8. Chapter 8

Sonic repeated Amy’s words again and again in his head, his brow creasing after a glimpse of the cat food in her hand. “Another Silver? What do you mean, Ames?”

The pinkette ran up to him, the bag crinkling in her hold. “What I mean is-” Amy lowered her voice when Sonic put a finger on his lips, gesturing to the back of the house. “What I mean is that I have the same brand at my apartment! I had bought it yesterday!”

Sonic looked between the food and Amy’s somewhat guilty expression until it clicked. He sucked in a breath. “Don’t tell me…”

Amy somberly nodded, worrying her bottom lip. “Recently I’ve been seeing a stray kitten wondering outside of the complex. I tried to bring her inside, but she’s really skittish, so I settled on getting some food so she wouldn’t be hungry.” Amy trailed off. “I haven’t seen her since yesterday…”

Sonic ran a hand through his quills, heavily exhaling. It was one thing that _second_ pet had potentially turned into a functional member of society, but it was another that Silver was still holding strong to his instincts. That was fine because he was low on the food chain, but cats were _predators._

If the kitten desired to pounce as much as Silver had wanted to cower away, then they had a serious problem.

“Well, it’s time to find her then!” Sonic said with confidence. “She’s gotta be a least a little scared, and hopefully she hasn’t pounced on the wrong person yet.”

“Oh no…” Amy whispered, having not thought about that until now.

“She’s probably still in the city!” Tails quickly suggested, turning towards Amy. “What does she look like?”

The pinkette frowned. “Would it really matter, though? Silver looks nothing like he did before! The only thing kept the same was the color of his quills!”

“At least something stayed the same, yeah?” Sonic would hold on to any leads he could take. This was about to be one heck of a game of hide-and-seek. “Anything helps!”

Agreeing, Amy dug into her memory. “She’s pretty dirty, but…I think she’s a solid cream color with a darker band on her tail. Oh!” Amy pointed at her forehead. “And she has a dark patch of fur right above her eyes!”

“Does she have long or short fur?”

“Short!”

“Okay, okay.” Sonic nodded, absorbing the new information. “The spot on her forehead will make this a whole lot easier because that’s pretty rare. I’m guessing that she doesn’t respond to a name?”

He hadn’t been too hopeful, the kitten being a stray and all, so his spirits remained high when Amy shook her head.

“Oh boy…” Tails could already tell that this was about to be rough.

“Cheer up, bud!” Sonic ruffed the kit’s bangs. “ _Someone_ in the city has to have seen her!” He aimed his reassuring smile at Amy. “And if we don’t find her today – which I doubt – you keep a sharp eye out around your apartment. Strays usually hang around where they can get food.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Amy uttered before perking up. “Which is why we should check my place first! She could be there now!”

“Great idea, Ames! But-” Sonic didn’t forget about the fourth occupant of his house, resting blissfully unaware. “-can you stay here just in case Silver wakes up? Don’t want him freakin’ out about being alone.”

Amy wasn’t concerned, for the duo was more than capable enough to do this themselves. “You better go down every alleyway, and don’t be afraid to harass people!” That earned her a couple chuckles. She glanced down the adjacent hall and questioned, “Should I tell Silver what’s going on if he asks?”

Tails pondered for a moment. “Not yet… He doesn’t completely trust the ways of society yet, so telling him that there might _actually_ be a predator relying on her instincts probably will send him into a panic.”

“There’s no grey area about that. He _will_ panic.” And Sonic would rather not let that happen. “So, let’s take this one step at a time. Just tell ‘im that we’re taking a stroll in the city or something.”

“Gotcha!” Amy beamed before lightly pushing them toward the front door. “Now shoo! Who _knows_ how scared she must be right now!”

Sonic mock-saluted her. “Hear ya loud and clear! Let’s get a move on, Tails!” The kit was already in the air, flying over to the exit. Sonic jogged after him, waving over his shoulder. “See you in a bit!”

Amy waved as the duo left, the door being shut quietly.

Once alone, she dropped her hand with a long-winded sigh. She eyed the food bag in her grip before dropping it, feeling guilty even though none of it was her fault. The kitty likely didn’t have a clue about what happened, and while Silver seemed fine with the whole thing, he had friends to help him adjust.

The kitty was all alone.

“She’s fine, she’s fine…” Amy muttered to calm herself. After taking another deep breath, the pinkette figured that she should busy herself to keep from worrying too much.

Having nothing better to do, Amy settled down on the couch and grabbed the TV remote, channel surfing. One movie finally caught her eye, and she got comfortable.

Around an hour later, the hedgehog was invested, her attention never swaying from the screen. It was understandable because the main character of the film had just saved her love interest from being ran over by a car, and he was now – _finally_ – seeing her in a new light.

“Uh…hey.”

Amy hurriedly paused the movie, refusing to miss a single _second_ before peering over her shoulder. Silver was standing at the opening of the hall, wiping the remnants of sleep from his eyes as he yawned.

She beamed at him. “Hi, Silver! How was your nap?”

Silver’s smile was more reserved. “Good! I really needed it.” He looked around the room, a frown pulling at his lips. “Where’s Sonic?”

“He and Tails had to go out for a bit! It was an emergency, but they should be back soon!” Amy kept it as vague as possible, changing the subject before Silver could question anything. “How are you feeling now? You sound less stuffy than before!”

It was clear that Silver wasn’t happy that he was left at the house, but he didn’t comment on it, sniffing. “Yeah, I think the cold’s going away. Hopefully.”

“I hear that, especially since your sneezes came with extra baggage.” Amy’s smile subtly waned when Silver absently nodded at her, subdued golds lingering on the front door. Thinking that he needed a distraction as well, Amy regained her brightness and patted the space beside her. “They won’t be long, promise! But while we wait, do you want to finish this movie with me?”

Silver shifted his attention back on her, then the television. “A movie?” There was some hesitance, but he eventually padded around the couch. Settling down next to Amy, he asked, “What’s a movie? Is it like a cartoon? I watched one of those with Tails earlier…”

Amy didn’t expect that question, but it made sense. Silver had a lot to learn about…everything, really. “Kinda, but there are real people acting, and the story is _much_ more in depth.”

“What’s this one’s story?”

“It’s…” Amy trailed off before palming the remote. “How about I start it over for you!” Re-watching half of it wouldn’t be so bad just to see Silver’s reactions.

“You don’t have to…”

“Oh, I do.”

Amy rewound the movie to the beginning and sealed her lips to not spoil anything. Silver didn’t seem too interested at first, watching with a slight frown, but it didn’t take him long to get immersed.

He was so into it that he loudly gasped, jolting in his seat when the man nearly got ran over. Silver relaxed when the woman saved him, rustled quills smoothening back down. “That was so close!”

“I know, right?” Amy leaned forward in her seat, giving all of her focus to the movie now. What happened next was unknown to her. She didn’t mind if there was more action, but she couldn’t _wait_ for the main character and the man to become official.

Thirty minutes later, Amy was keeping her squeals in check as the couple wrapped each other up in a hug. However, some slipped out when they gazed into each other’s eyes, going in for a kiss.

“Finally!” Amy giggled, turning to Silver. Whatever she was going to say was pushed to the side at the white hedgehog’s expression. He wasn’t as happy as she was; confusion was written all over his face. Amy paused the movie. “Are you okay, Silver?”

“Yeah, I’m fine!” He glanced over at her, pointing at the screen. “I just don’t understand…what are they doing?”

It was another curveball, but it didn’t catch Amy off-guard this time. “Kissing!”

“Kissing?”

The pinkette fully faced him, going into teacher mode. “Yep! When two people really like each other, they sometimes kiss!”

Silver tilted his head, eyes flickering to the frozen screen and back to her. “Really like, as in…enjoying being around them?”

Amy smiled at his naivety. He had so much to learn. “It’s much more than that! Friends like being around each other, but they never kiss.” Silver nodded, processing every word. “A kiss is usually the product of lingering gazes, blushes, the desire the hold the other person tight, the undeniable trust between the two, never wanting to each other’s side, always wanting to see them smile…” Amy blissfully sighed. “The list goes on and on!”

“Wow, that’s…” Silver rubbed the back of his neck, averting his eyes. “All of that just for a kiss?”

Amy straightened, mending her words. “No, no!” Startled golds met her gaze, and she softly smiled. “If a person thinks the things I told you, that means they know that they’ll be happier with the other person. They’ll feel complete. Kissing is one of the perks.” She giggled again. “Do you understand now?”

“I…think so?” Silver said, quietly snorting. “Things had been way less complicated as an actual hedgehog.”

“But life’s much better now, isn’t it?” Amy chirped knowingly, nudging him with her shoulder.

Silver’s expression softened. “Much better.”

Amy bobbed her head at the class aquarium still tucked in the corner. “It can’t go anywhere but up after being stuck in that thing all the time!” She picked up the remote once more. “Now, let’s hurry and finish this before Sonic and Tails get back.” She definitely wouldn’t have the time if their search was successful.

Silver nodded, and she pressed play.

* * *

 

“I’m guessin’ that you came up empty too, huh?”

“Yeah…”

A sigh exploded from Sonic as he sat on the edge of a fountain, the splashing behind him mixing in with the chatter of an ever-moving crowd. “I can’t believe that _no one_ has seen her. I mean, seriously? We’ve asked so many people!”

Tails sat beside him, keeping his namesakes out of the rippling water. “Well…this is wishful thinking, but what if the kitten didn’t change? What if it only affected Silver, for some reason?”

Sonic watched as a kid threw a penny in the water for good luck. “He was just a regular old hedgehog, bud. Don’t think that’s the case.”

“Maybe it is!” Tails wrung his fingers together in thought. “I know that the cat food had been recalled pretty quickly, but surely other people had enough time to buy it! And there have been _no_ reports of other transformations happening.”

Sonic hummed, hesitant to dismiss the possibility altogether. “That’s true, but we gotta still be on the lookout. We can only rule the transformation out if the kitty shows back up at Amy’s place.”

Tails conceded. “You’re right… I just don’t want her to be in any trouble. Plus, you saw how scared Silver was when he first transformed.”

Sonic chuckled. “Look at you, mother hen-ing about a kitty never even met before.” When Tails puffed out his cheeks, the speedster stood up. “We can try again tomorrow if she doesn’t show up – in either form – at Amy’s place.”

Tails hovered in the air, his namesakes whirling. “I really want her to, for all of our sakes.” He was about to say something else, but the blaring of sirens drowned him out.

Sonic whipped his head in the direction of the sound, but there were buildings blocking the way. “Firetrucks?” Then he noticed wisps of smoke raising into the air a few blocks away. Sonic gazed on in shock. “ _Another_ fire?”

“In the same day?” Tails frowned, concern etching into his features. “Do you think it’s a coincidence?”

“I dunno.” Sonic matched his frown. “But we gotta check it out to see if anyone needs our help.” He held his arms up, and Tails didn’t hesitate in grabbing his wrists.

In the next second, they were airborne, flying over buildings until they spotted the one currently burning to the ground.

There weren’t as many people gathered around as last time, and there were fewer trucks because of the building’s smaller size, but the flames still looked just as intense.

Sonic felt the heat when Tails placed him on the ground, observing as firemen prepared to salvage what seemed to be a bakery.

Raging flames had already engulfed the interior, and parts of the ceiling could be seen falling down piece by piece.

After staring in disbelief for another moment, Sonic sidled up to the closest on-watcher and asked, “Do you know what happened here?”

The robin he’d approached shook his head. “Not really. I was in there ordering, but…” He took sighed. “I heard the bakers in the back talking about a small fire, but I thought they were handling it. Then they ran out shouting at everyone to leave, the fire basically chasing them out of the kitchen. It was just spreading so _fast._ ”

“But nobody got hurt, right?” Tails asked, floating closer.

“Everyone got out safely. We’re just a little shaken up.” The robin managed a smile. “Thanks though for checking in. Heard about what you did this morning,” he added, addressing Sonic.

Sonic grinned back. “You know me, always here to help!” The man nodded at him before returning his attention to the flames. Sonic did so as well, torrents of water now battling the flickering fire. Hoping that this wouldn’t happen again, he faced Tails. “Guess they have it all taken care of. Let’s head back and share the news.”

Tails agreed, and with one last wave to the public, they left the fiery scene.

Sonic flung the front door open once they returned home, causing two heads to whip around, startled. Amy and Silver relaxed when they recognized them, the former pausing a movie on the television.

“Welcome back!” Amy greeted them. She saw the lack of a third party and subtly slumped. “No luck, huh?”

Sonic regretfully shook his head. “Yeah...” When Silver glanced between them in confusion, Sonic knew that Amy had kept the secret. To prevent the psychic from asking any questions, he quickly changed course. “And look who’s awake!” He went over and leaned against the back of the couch, smiling at Silver. “Feelin’ any better that the medicine is all in your system?”

Silver returned the smile, relieved that the speedster was back safe and sound. “Sure am! My nose is getting clearer, and I haven’t sneezed once since I woke up. The medicine was _disgusting_ , but I guess it was worth it though.”

Amy rose a brow at him. “Wait, what kind did they give you?”

“Strawberry, and it was a horrible, horrible lie.”

The pinkette gaped at the brothers. “You two are monsters. That’s like the worse flavor!”

“It was all that we had!” Tails hastily defended himself. “It was better than nothing!”

Sonic carefully rustled Silver’s quills, making him have more of a bed-head. The psychic didn’t seem to mind, his smile growing. Sonic chuckled. “Now we don’t have to worry about you accidentally throwing around furniture.”

Silver perked up at that. “Speaking of my powers, can I practice some more?” The faster he gained control of them, the better. He would do anything he could to keep Sonic from getting hurt again. “I’ll stay away from the couch this time.”

“On that note-” Amy hopped off the sofa, giggling. “I need to go before things start flying again.”

Some guilt leaked into Silver’s tone. “I’ll try to stay away from you too if that’s why you’re leaving…”

Amy waved him off. “It’s not because of you, promise! I just have some cleaning to do at my apartment.”

Sonic hid his grin. ‘Some cleaning’ as in monitor around her complex for their potentially transformed feline. “Have fun with that, Ames! Call us if you need any help with anything.”

“No matter how late!” Tails knowingly added. “Cleaning is hard work sometimes.”

“I definitely will if I need it!” Amy hoped with all she had that the kitty would show, Mobian or otherwise, so her worries could be put to rest. The pinkette held out a hand, beaming at Silver. “It was _so_ nice to meet you, Silver!”

When the psychic blinked at the gesture, completely lost, Sonic snickered before guiding Silver’s hand to hers. He pulled back when Amy initiated the shake.

Silver eventually caught on with a meek chuckle. “It was nice to meet you too, Amy!” The handshake ended, Silver continuing with a, “Well, properly.”

Amy eyed him and sighed. “I’m going to miss you trying to escape toilet paper rolls-” Silver groaned, covering his face with his hands. Sonic patted his shoulder sympathetically. “-but I don’t mind this change!” She strolled towards the door. “I’ll probably see you guys tomorrow!”

“Alright!” Tails said, even though it would be better if they met beforehand. “And – oh!” His smile slipped, suddenly remembering the burning bakery. “Maybe I should drop you off. We saw another fire in the city, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Amy paused in her stride, shock filling her system. “Another one? Seriously?”

Silver gasped, getting on his knees on the sofa cushions to examine Sonic closely. “You…didn’t run into that one, did you?”

“Nope! No one needed saving this time.” Silver’s features softened, and Sonic’s lips quirked upwards. “You really need to stop worryin’ about me so much, Silv.” Before Silver could say that it was basically impossible, Sonic regarded Amy. “But yeah, it’s a good idea for Tails to take you. We don’t know whether it’s coincidental yet.”

Amy didn’t like the sound of this. She could take down many threats, but she couldn’t really touch flames with her hammer. The best scenario was that the two fires were freak accidents, not the product of some crazed maniac.

For the safety of her and the kitten.

“Well, if it happens again, we’ll know that something sketchy is going on…” Amy turned on her heel and headed for the garage with Tails on her tail. She waved over her shoulder. “See you two later!”

“Bye!” Sonic and Silver responded in unison, and then they were alone.

The blue hero hurdled over the couch, plopping down in a cushion beside Silver. “I guess it’s safe to say that you’ve warmed up to Amy!”

“Well, yeah!” Silver settled back down in his seat, crossing his legs in order to face the other. “She’s really nice, and she doesn’t have any sharp fangs to be concerned about.”

Sonic rolled his eyes, but his amused grin betrayed any hints of annoyance. “That’s not fair to Tails, y’know.”

“I’m getting there!” Silver defended himself. “I’ve improved from yesterday, right? I haven’t hugged you in fear or anything.” He playfully huffed. “I don’t know about you, but I’m proud of myself.”

“Don’t get me wrong! I’m proud of you too!” Sonic reached out a hand and scratched behind one of Silver’s ears. The white hedgehog pleasantly sighed, closing his eyes and leaning into the touch. Sonic felt fuzzy at the resulting purr and uttered, “You’ll be completely comfortable here in no time.”

“Not really…not until I get my powers under control.” As much as he didn’t want to, Silver gently grabbed Sonic’s hand and lowered it. It was easier to think without the massages scrambling his brain. Silver’s inquisitive golds met curious emeralds. “You didn’t answer my question from earlier. Can I practice?”

As much as Sonic appreciated Silver eagerly making an effort to train, he thought that it was best to take it slow – believe it or not. “I dunno, Silv.” Sonic ignored how Silver unconsciously played with his fingers. “I think we should wait until you’re completely over your cold. I didn’t master my speed in one day!”

“Please?” Silver pleaded, squeezing his hand.

Sonic wasn’t swayed. “Nope!”

“Please?!”

“Nothin’ you do will change my mind, Silv!”

Instead of giving up like Sonic believed he would, a glint appeared in Silver’s eyes that he couldn’t comprehend. “Well, maybe this will!”

Silver shot forward and rapidly poked Sonic’s side like he saw in the movie. Hopefully dissolving the other in a fit of giggles would get him to give.

Silver didn’t get laughter though. Just a quirked brow and a teasing smirk. “What, are you trying to _tickle_ me, Silver?”

“Uh…” Silver decreased his efforts with a confused frown. “Am I doing it wrong? We watched a movie and it showed-”

It was Sonic’s turn to have a devious glint in his eyes. “Yeah, but it didn’t tell you that not _everyone_ is ticklish.” Silver blinked in surprise. “Now, let’s see if you are!”

Silver realized his mistake then and there. “No, wait! I-” He didn’t get to finish, for Sonic pounced on him. His back hit the couch, a laugh bubbling its way out of him when Sonic attacked his stomach. He tried to squirm away, but Sonic kept him pinned. “S-Stop! U-Unfair!”

“You started it!” Sonic continued his assault, simultaneously defending from Silver’s hands flutily pushing him away. Despite being the tickler, the psychic’s laughter was contagious, causing chuckles to spill out of Sonic’s mouth as well.

“C…Can’t b-breathe!” Silver eventually stuttered between laughs, needing this horrible form of torture to end.

Sonic sat up then, having got his point across. “Better do your research before you try anythin’ sneaky!” Silver couldn’t answer him, catching his breath, nothing but putty on the couch.

Finally, he muttered, “Well, that backfired…”

“Yep!” Sonic poked him in the stomach. “Your own body betrayed you. Isn’t that the worst luck?”

Silver groaned. “I could’ve thrown you off if I had control of my powers.”

“All the more reason to keep you from learning!” Sonic tickled him some more, and Silver playfully slapped his hands away. The hero yielded this time. He patted Silver’s leg and stood, holding out a hand. “Instead of working, let’s take a spin in the hamster ball and clean out that box of strawberries afterwards. What do ya say?”

Silver’s body betrayed him yet again, his face lighting up.

Hook, line, and sinker.

* * *

 

Sonic yawned as he swung his legs over the side of his bed, sleep still having a strong hold on him. He squinted through the darkness as he shuffled out of his room, for the sun had a while to go before rising over the horizon.

His dry throat had woken him up and unfortunately would not be ignored. Sonic dragged his feet out of the bedroom, heading for the kitchen.

Passing the door that Tails was snoring behind, Sonic made it to the living room without a sound. He paused at the sight of Silver sleeping peacefully on the couch under a cozy blanket.

A sleepy smile grew on Sonic’s face, remembering what they did the day before. He basically spent the rest of the time indoors after rolling with the giant hamster ball, and while Sonic was more of the outdoorsy type, he hadn’t minded at all.

Silver had convinced him and Tails into watching a movie marathon, and Sonic learned more about Silver than he thought he would during it.

Apparently, Silver didn’t mind fights and action as long as Sonic wasn’t apart of it. He loved comedies, liked drama/romance stuff – interestingly enough – and was fascinated by sci-fi. He barely lasted twenty minutes watching horror, and Tails was happy enough to cut that movie short.

Sonic stifled a snort as he continued his trek into the kitchen, aiming for the sink. He could only imagine what would happen if he dragged Silver to a haunted house when Halloween rolled around.

The only bad thing about today was that Amy hadn’t called yet, but he shouldn’t worry too much. He had faith that the kitten would show eventually.

After quietly pouring a glass of water and gulping it down, his throat thanking him, Sonic shuffled back out of the kitchen. He almost made it to the hall, but breathy whimpers caused him to freeze.

He almost believed that he had imagined them; however, a low whine ousted that thought. Sonic whirled around and tip-toed over to Silver, not liking what he saw.

Silver was clutching the blanket like his life depended on it, a deep frown and creased brow marring his previously relaxed features. Incomprehensible mutterings filled the air, paired with sharp winces, and Sonic concluded that he was having a nightmare.

Sonic had a good feeling that the scary movie was to blame until he heard, “Fire…no…don’t go…Sonic please _…no!_ ”

The speedster sucked in a breath, something in him twisting. He didn’t hesitate in grasping Silver’s shoulder, gently shaking it. “Silver!” he loudly whispered only to receive a whimper in response. Sonic shook harder. “Silver, wake up! It’s okay!”

The white hedgehog gasped, his golden eyes flying open. They were moistened with unshed tears as they darted around the dark room, ultimately lingering on Sonic. Silver swallowed, venturing, “Sonic?”

The hero squatted to get eye level with him, managing a smile. “Yeah, it’s me. Are you alright?”

“I…” Silver sniffed, biting his lip. “I saw you jump into a huge fire, and I tried to stop you but-” The tears were spilling now. “-but I c-couldn’t move and you were _screaming_ and-”

Sonic instantly held him close, pulling Silver out of that terrible moment. The psychic went limp in his hold, hiccupping, and Sonic kneaded his fingers between bleached quills to calm Silver down.

“Everything’s okay, Silv! None of it was real,” Sonic whispered. It pained him to see Silver like this. All because of that fire… “I’m here.”

Silver wrapped his arms around him, whimpering against his neck. He was trembling. “Please don’t go…”

Sonic tightened the embrace. “I won’t, promise.” The trembling took a while to stop, Sonic rubbing soothing circles until they did.

But even then, Sonic didn’t break the hug until another minute or so. That was when Silver’s breathing evened out. The speedster pulled back and was met with damp eyes swirling with lingering fear.

Sonic knew that Silver wasn’t going to have a restful night up here by himself. He glimpsed in the direction of his bedroom; his bed was big enough for two, just for tonight.

“How about this…” Sonic lifted a hand up to Silver’s muzzle, hesitating a hair’s width away from it. After a split second of deliberation, he cradled the other’s cheek, wiping leftover tears away with his thumb. Sonic smiled. “Let’s go back to my room, so you’ll know for sure that I won’t go anywhere.”

Silver faintly nodded. “Sorry if I woke you up.” His voice was weaker, still shaky. “Again…”

Sonic shook his head as he stood straight, the other tossing the blanket off of himself. “You didn’t wake me up! I had been getting water, and I heard you.”

Silver bypassed responding in order to dry the rest of his face. He got to his feet as well, sniffling, and Sonic questioned, “It seemed real, huh?”

“Too real,” Silver borderline whimpered.

With the urge to comfort off the charts at this point, Sonic gently grabbed Silver’s wrist and guided him to his room. “C’mon.”

Silver followed without protest, Sonic letting him go once he silently closed the room door. The hero gestured Silver over to the bed, yawning. “We better climb in before my legs decide to quit on me.” With a muted chuckle, Sonic crawled on top of the mattress, making sure to leave Silver enough space.

Sonic’s eyes closed when his head hit the pillow, his body relaxing as the mattress dipped beside of him. There was more shifting as Silver got comfortable, but Sonic was already slipping away.

“Sonic?”

The speedster peeled his eyes open, slowly blinking to see Silver observing him. Sleep was calling too loud for Sonic to care about how close the psychic’s face was.

“Yeah?” Sonic breathed out, hoping that it wouldn’t be long before he returned to dreamland.

All thoughts of sleep were then forgotten when unsure lips pressed against his.

It was featherlight and brief, but any lingering drowsiness disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Silver’s languidly smiled as Sonic forgot how to breathe. “Thank you,” Silver murmured before slightly curling up, nuzzling the speedster’s chest with a satisfied hum. “They’re really soft…” His mutter trailed off, hushed snores soon filling the room.

Sleep didn’t reclaim Sonic until long after that.

* * *

 

The next morning, Amy was everything but tired as the rising sun’s rays chased away the setting moon.

The pinkette stood outside, unable to do anything as her apartment burned to the ground.

She was among the rest of the residents of the complex, standing in the crowded parking lot. There was crazed chatter all around her, hints of sobs as well.

She held hers in, though, as the flames rose high, smoke obscuring the sunrise.

Amy took a deep trembling breath before asking one of her neighbors, “Do you have a cell phone I could use?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All caught up now! The next chapter will hopefully be out soon...if procrastination doesn't kick me in the kneecaps between then and now.

Silver yawned as sleep slowly released its hold on him. He almost wished that he could’ve dozed for longer, considering how comfortable he was. Sonic’s bed was the softest thing he’d ever slept on, definitely beating the couch and wood shavings. He felt so warm and cozy too, especially on his left side. And to think of it, there was a weight pressing against him that hadn’t been there before…

Silver blinked his eyes open, them adjusting to the soft sunlight filtering through the nearby window. Seeing blue at the edge of his vision, he glanced down and found the cause of the weight.

Sonic was halfway laying on top of him. His head was resting on Silver’s chest, nestled in the soft fur there. He could also feel something loosely wrapped around his waist; Silver could only guess that it was an arm.

Silver couldn’t see Sonic’s face from this angle, but it was clear that he was still sleeping, his breathing gentle and steady. Silver smiled, shifting his hand to rest behind of the speedster’s ears. He moved his fingers in lazy circles and was rewarded with quiet purring.

His smile grew when Sonic nuzzled his chest, the arm around his waist tightening.

Amy’s words from yesterday echoed around in Silver’s head, and he melted into the languid embrace, allowing Sonic to pull him closer. There was no doubt that Silver was happier like this, complete. He almost couldn’t believe that he’d spent most of his life in that clear container, unable to communicate, unable to do _this._

Transforming was the best thing to ever happen to him, and coming in second place was probably the kiss…

Amy was right. It was certainly one of the perks.

There was a fluttering in Silver’s chest as he laid there, lazily tracing patterns in azure fur. He could stay here forever soaking in Sonic’s warmth and presence.

Unfortunately, his forever only lasted a few more minutes. Sonic began to stir against him, letting go of Silver to sleepily rub at his eyes.

Silver drawled out a greeting. “Good morning.”

Sonic tensed before swiftly sitting up, staring at a furred chest and eventually meeting Silver’s gaze. Silver couldn’t help but to chuckle at those wide eyes. Sonic cleared his throat, the slight pink tinge on his cheeks making him look all the more flustered.

“Uh, morning,” he greeted back with an embarrassed half-laugh. “Sorry about usin’ you as a pillow. I don’t know why-”

“Don’t worry about it!” Silver sat up too, stretching his arms above his head and yawning. When he finished, he beamed. “You looked pretty comfortable, and I wasn’t going to turn down having a second blanket, you know?”

After yawning as well, Sonic blinked at him and snickered. “Well, I guess that’s a solid reason, but I thought you’d be more into havin’ your own personal space and all.”

Silver shook his head, loving the sense of security he had when Sonic was around him. “I don’t mind when you get close, especially since you chased those bad nightmares away.”

Something about his words made Sonic avert his eyes, and Silver frowned at his subtle troubled expression. “What’s wrong? Wait…did you have a nightmare?”

“Nah, I just…” Sonic absently rubbed his arm. “I had just been thinkin’ about something, that’s all.”

“About what?”

Silver leaned forward a bit in interest, the Sonic’s gaze couldn’t stay away for long. Those golden irises brimming with curiosity and concern forced him to ask, “Silver…why did you kiss me last night?”

Sonic regretted questioning it when his words hit the air because he shouldn’t be so caught up on this. What Silver did was innocent, and he probably didn’t even know the significance. Sonic should simply forget about it and move on.

But he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried. A good bit of last night was spent trying to calm down his hammering heart and to smother the whispering thought echoing in the back of his mind to return the favor. He had _no_ clue where that idea had came from, though; he knew the significance of a kiss, and he didn’t feel that way about Silver.

…Right?

“Huh?” Silver tiled his head at the question. Sonic resisted the urge to fix his messy quills. “Um…because I wanted to do it?”

“No, I mean-” Sonic took a deep breath, fully facing the other and crossing his legs. It was probably too early in the day to be having this conversation, but he wanted Silver to know. “You just did it as a thank you, but…”

Sonic trailed off when a soft smile adorned Silver’s face. “That’s not the only reason why.” He reached over and grabbed Sonic’s hand, the hero too stunned to resist. Silver ran a thumb over his knuckles and gently squeezed, saying, “You kiss someone who’s important to you, who you trust with everything you have.” Sonic opened his mouth to cut in about trusting friendships, but he kept going. “If you always want to see that person smile, want to hold them forever, and want to see them blush…you kiss them.”

Sonic was speechless. He felt the heat rising in his cheeks, and it was obvious because of how warm Silver’s expression was. “When…” Sonic’s voice was hushed when he finally regained the ability to speak. “When did you learn that?”

“When you left me here with Amy.” Silver snickered, words tender. “Her lesson and the movies I watched really helped shine a light on how I see you.”

Sonic’s heart was racing again, and his mind shut down. Which was mostly why the next words tumbled out of his mouth without thinking. “But…Silver, you know that you can only kiss someone if they feel the same about you, right?”

Silver nodded. “I figured that it had to be a two-way thing, but why did you…”

Realization set in, and Sonic wanted to hit himself.

The complete and utter _devastation_ on Silver’s face made his stomach twist. The grey fingers cradling his hand had gone rigid. Golden eyes grew stormy. “Y…You don’t…? But I thought… _why…_ ”

Sonic floundered for a response, needing for the smile to come back. “Don’t assume things, Silv!” His chuckle was forced, and it didn’t placate other at all. “I just asked because-”

“Then kiss me.”

Sonic swallowed thickly at the desperation in Silver’s tone. His hand was gripped firmly now, able to feel the subtle tremble of the psychic’s fingers. Silver’s eyes were wide and glossy, frantically searching Sonic’s features.

“Please,” he pleaded, voice cracking.

Sonic couldn’t though, because he didn’t…

…but could he really say that?

Silver was different from the rest of his friends, he knew. Not only because he had transformed either. He affected Sonic differently in ways that he couldn’t describe.

For example, right now he wanted to pull Silver close and hold him as long as he needed to make things alright again. Things that Silver had done stirred foreign feelings inside him he’d never dealt with before. But did that mean he _liked_ Silver?

Cuddling next to him had…felt nice, he admitted. Embarrassing, but nice. Silver’s laugh was contagious. Sonic would do _anything_ to see him smile. He liked finding out new things about him as well, the good and the bad. He wanted Silver to get to know him better too, to learn Sonic’s life outside of these four walls. Sonic could even see Silver at his side during an adventure someday, enjoying the sights and Silver’s newfound freedom.

Holding hands didn’t feel awkward, and…neither did that kiss.

Maybe, just maybe…

“Silver, I-”

Yet again, Sonic was shocked when a pair of lips lightly pressed against his. He froze, breath hitching, unable to properly react. He barely managed to process how Silver’s jaw quivered before the other pulled back.

Guilt was written all over Silver’s face as tears fell. “S-Sorry, I shouldn’t…I shouldn’t have…”

Sonic didn’t let him finish.

With his free hand, he cradled Silver’s cheek, wiping away some of the dampness. Silver leaned into the touch with a shaky sigh, squeezing the hero’s fingers once more.

Sonic’s smile was fond. “It’s okay,” he whispered, leaning forward and slotting their lips together.

It was Silver’s turn to freeze. It was temporary, however. When Sonic pressed more into him, sliding his hand from his cheek to bury his fingers into hanging quills, Silver’s eyes slipped closed. A breathy whimper filled the air, and fire spread throughout Sonic’s body. He wouldn’t mind more of that; he wouldn’t mind more of Silver _period_.

He massaged circles into his skin, receiving a content sigh in return. Sonic brushed their lips together again and again, feeling electricity run down his spine when Silver copied him. It was a rush he’d never experienced before.  

He had to let it end though. Sonic opened his eyes and parted, letting his hand drop from Silver’s head. Emeralds met shining golds. Silver owlishly stared at him, and Sonic didn’t expect to be wrapped in a hug the next second.

Joyful laughter rang in his ear. Sonic couldn’t help but the join in, embracing Silver as tightly as he could. Their bodies molded together perfectly. How in the _world_ hadn’t he noticed this before?

Silver’s voice was still shaky when he calmed down, whispering, “D-Don’t _ever_ scare me like that again…”

“Sorry, Silv.” Sonic would made sure he never did. “I just needed to think things through, and you kinda helped with that.”

Another chuckle escaped Silver as he nuzzled into the crook of Sonic’s neck. They held each over for a few more lasting moments until Silver pulled back, rubbing at his tears. His heart was pounding, he couldn’t stop smiling, everything just felt _right._ “And um…your kiss was better than mine. Like _way_ better.”

“Yeah well…” When Sonic felt heat in his cheeks _again_ , he decided to steer the conversation in another direction. “I just hope that I didn’t catch what you had because you won’t like me when I’m run-deprived.”

Silver rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “I doubt it on both accounts. I feel great, but getting revenge for the nasty medicine does sound pretty nice…”

“It got you better, didn’t it?” Sonic smirked before shuffling out of the bed, stretching his back. “How about we move to the kitchen, and I can whip up some breakfast, huh?”

Silver rose a brow, going through his memories. “You can cook other things besides chilidogs?”

“Hey, I can make _mean_ scrambled eggs, thank you very much.”

Silver perked up at that. He’d always liked the smell of those, and now he had a chance to taste-

Both of the hedgehogs blinked when ringing echoed throughout the home. Sonic recognized the tone instantly. “The phone? I wonder who’s callin’ so early in the morning?” He ran out of the room to get it, a curious Silver following after him.

When they reached the kitchen, Sonic answered the phone on the wall while Silver stood to the side.

He smiled when Sonic greeted with, “Hey, Ames!” However, the surprise morphed into confusion when Sonic tensed, staring unseeingly at the wall. “Seriously?! We’ll be there in a sec!”

“What’s going on?”

Silver nearly jumped out of his skin at the sleepy voice behind him. He subtly stepped to the side as Tails shuffled into the kitchen with a yawn, rubbing his drowsy eyes. “Is someone hurt or something?”

Sonic hung up the phone, a frown pulling at his lips. “No, but Amy’s apartment complex caught fire.”

“What?!” Silver and Tails yelled out, all traces of sleep gone.

“Is she okay?” Tails hastily followed up, his namesakes puffed out in surprise. “Please say that she is!”

Sonic nodded, and the other two marginally relaxed. “She’s perfectly fine, but she wants us over there.” He glanced over at Silver. The reluctance in his eyes was easy to see. Sonic’s gaze softened. “You don’t have to go if you don’t wanna, Silv.”

“No, I…I want to go.” Silver reassured Sonic and himself. “Amy needs the support. I’ll be fine.” No one was going to eat him, and Sonic shouldn’t jump into any more fires.

Sonic gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Alright, let’s go!”

* * *

 

Amy sighed, returning the phone to the person she had borrowed it from. The hedgehog glimpsed at the burning inferno before weaving between the people in the parking lot. She needed space to breathe so she wouldn’t break down then and there. It would take Sonic a little while to get here with everyone in tow, so she had time to spare.

The pinkette eventually broke through the crowd, and she fought to keep her tears at bay. Amy kept to the sidewalk, wanting any minute now to wake up from this nightmare.

All of her stuff was as good as gone, and she had _loved_ her apartment. It was cozy and was in the perfect location. The walking distance to the best restaurants and stores had been short and sweet.

Amy sighed again. At least she, and everyone else, got out safe and sound. The fire alarm that had jolted her out of her sleep did its job well.

And she could live with Cream until she found another place to stay…

“Amy.”

The hedgehog stumbled in her step at the sound of her name. She looked around to find who said it, but no one stood out. They were either entranced by the distant fire or avoiding it altogether.

Amy frowned. She hadn’t imagined it. The voice had been quiet, but she was confident that it came from _somewhere._

“Amy.”

There it was again! The voice was no louder than the first time, but she now could pinpoint the direction it came from.

Amy peered down the narrow alleyway to her left, scanning for whoever called her. There was nothing notable except a dirtied dumpster tucked inside.

Pursing her lips, Amy crept into the alley, calling out a soft, “Hello?”

There was no response. She walked further in, avoiding empty cans and flittering papers. Amy approached the dumpster because it was the only thing she could interact with, starting to doubt her judgement. “If someone is actually calling me from inside this, I swear…”

At a certain point, however, Amy froze in her stride.

Because there were golden eyes _underneath_ the dumpster peering up at her.

* * *

 

“This is…wow.”

Sonic totally agreed with Tails, watching wild flames reach for the sky despite the water hoses attempting to stop the chaos. He didn’t think it was possible, but the fire was bigger than the one he had leapt into the save the stranded child.

He felt the intense heat even at a distance, the rumbling roar of the pyre demanding the attention of anyone nearby. The entire complex had been engulfed; it would be impossible to salvage anything inside.

Fingers locked around his forearm, and Sonic looked to see Silver with a haunted expression on his face. His eyes never left the plumes of smoke. The grip tightened as the roar grew louder.

Sonic blinked in surprise when the scattered pebbles around their feet began to rise into the air. They were surrounded by a cyan glow, and he knew he had to do something before Silver made all of them weightless.

The power hadn’t been caused by a sneeze this time, but hopefully calming him down still worked.

Sonic put a hand over his, murmuring, “Hey, look at me, Silv.” It took a moment, but scared eyes eventually met his. Sonic smiled. “The fire isn’t going to get you or me, ‘kay? Unless it grew legs, then we’d be kinda out of luck.”

Silver snorted at the joke, his grasp loosening. Then he sighed, gazing up at the disaster. “I know, it’s just-” When the floating pebbles clattered to the ground, he finally noticed what had happened. He was awed. “Wait, did I do that?”

Sonic nodded with a grin – they had more testing to do, but first, “Do you see her yet, Tails?” he tipped his head and yelled up at the fox hovering above them.

“Not yet!” Tails searched over the many heads watching the busy firemen at work. He flew higher, hunting for any sign of signature pink quills. He couldn’t really yell out her name because he knew that he’d barely be heard over the water, flames, and constant chatter.

“Oh wait…” He squinted against the morning light, seeing a pink someone waving at him from the edge of the crowd. “I see her! She’s over there!”

Tails pointed away from the flames, and Sonic gave him a thumbs up. “Gotcha!” When the kit led the way, Sonic made sure he had a secure grip on Silver’s wrist before weaving back and forth through the bystanders.

“Hi, Amy!” Tails was the first to greet her, grounding himself with a frown. “I feel so bad about what happened!”

Silver and Sonic met up soon after, sadness filling the former’s expression. “Me too…I can’t imagine my home going up in flames like that, so you must be devastated.”

Well, she sounded broken up over the phone, but Sonic believed that Amy looked a little too upbeat for the occasion. Even so, he asked, “Do you know what caused it, Ames?”

“No, but I have a surprise for all of you!” The trio of boys glanced at each other, not expecting the pep, and Amy didn’t hesitate with spilling the beans. “I found her! The kitty!”

Tails and Sonic gasped. “You did?!”

Silver’s brow creased. “What kitty?”

Sonic, noticing Amy’s empty arms, quickly came to a conclusion. “Is she transformed?” he asked and gaped when the pinkette enthusiastically nodded.

Worried about what he just heard, Silver repeated, “What _kitty?_ ”

Tails bit his lip, eyes shifting from the psychic to Amy. “I think we need to tell him.”

“Tell me what?” Silver asked him before addressing Sonic. “What’s going on?”

Sonic grinned, placing both hands on his shoulders because he knew the reaction wouldn’t be pretty. “Well, remember when you were a regular hedgehog, but then you turned into one of us?”

Silver didn’t like where this was going. “Yeah…?”

“Amy has a pet cat that did the same thing.”

“A _cat?!_ ”

“A kitten, actually!” Amy attempted to placate, but Silver wasn’t having it.

He shook his head vehemently. “That doesn’t matter! She grew up a predator! We’re going to be her breakfast, lunch, and dinner!”

Amy tried again. “She isn’t going to eat us! I met her, and I’m fine!”

“Because she’s your pet!”

“Well, she’s more a stray than a pet…”

Silver looked ready to faint.

Sonic squeezed his shoulders, making Silver focus on him. “Calm down, alright? She’s not gonna attack us.” He hoped. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure because she _was_ a predator. “It’ll be fine.” Silver opened his mouth to object, but Sonic didn’t let him. “And if for _some_ reason she does, you have the world’s fastest hero, the best two-tailed brainiac ever, and the bravest gal I’ve ever met to protect you.”

Sonic chuckled when Tails and Amy smiled at the appreciation, and Silver searched emerald pools for any doubt. There wasn’t any.

His shoulders were squeezed again; he finally conceded. “Okay…we can go met her.” But he wasn’t going to like it.

The speedster smiled in relief before regarding Amy, “Where is she, Ames?”

“This way!” she replied, jogging off. Silver made sure his fingers were interlocked with Sonic's as they followed behind.

They reached the alleyway in no time, and all of them – sans Amy – were speechless at the sight of a purple cat standing in the middle of it.

It made sense now that Sonic and Tails hadn’t found her after asking around. She looked nothing like Amy’s earlier description. The feline’s dusty fur was a vibrant purple instead of cream. It hung long from her head, a darker violet painting the tips. What stayed the same, kinda, was the spot on her forehead. Instead of discolored fur however, it was a gem of some sort.

She was wearing a tattered dress; she obviously wasn’t used to it with how she tugged at the fabric’s seams.

Amy gained her attention with a soft, “Hey,” but the cat bypassed her completely. Fierce golden eyes glared hard at the newcomers, her purple tail flicking behind her in irritation.

Silver hid behind Sonic with a wary whine. The feline saw this, a hiss escaping her lips.

“It’s okay!” Amy held her hands up innocently as she approached with caution. “They’re my friends!”

She didn’t respond, continuing to stare both Sonic and Silver down. She had lost interest in Tails, it seemed.

The blue hero figured that Amy could use some help. He wore a friendly smile. “We’re friendly, honest!” He took a step forward. “The name’s Sonic, and-”

The rest of his words caught in his throat when a fireball crashed down at his feet, making him yelp and jump back.

He stared in disbelief at the dancing heat before refocusing on the feline. Her hands were engulfed with flames that reflected in her intense gaze.

It was a wild guess, but they _might_ have found the pyromaniac.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's ready to meet our favorite fiery feline?

Silver knew that going to find that cat was a bad idea.

His heart was hammering against his chest as he watched the small fire blaze in front of him and Sonic, feeling the radiating heat. Silver swallowed thickly at the flames before gazing beyond them at the cat, who had sharp eyes and fiery palms.

Silver cowered a bit behind Sonic as Amy gasped, glancing between the heat and the feline with shock etched in her features. "Wait! You're…You're the one who's staring the fires?"

The cat didn't answer. Her intense gaze never left Sonic and Silver.

"My guess is that she is…" Tails uttered, trying to put out the flames with his namesakes. Sonic helped as well, stomping the small fire down to embers before it had a chance to spread.

Silver sucked in a breath when the feline's hands glowed brighter. Before he could warn the two to move, Amy stood in front of the pyromaniac and held her arms out.

"Don't!" Amy yelled, and Silver was finally relieved of the sharp glare. The feline was staring at the pinkette now, frowning. Having her attention, Amy lowered her voice and pleaded, "Don't hurt them, please? They don't mean any harm!"

A purple tail twitched in agitation, and the flames in her hands remained strong.

Amy bit her lip for a moment until it morphed into a genial smile. "How about this…when is the last time that you've eaten anything?" The cat's expression subtly softened. It wasn't much, but it got Amy's smile to widen. "Then let's get you something! We can go to…um…"

Sonic knew that she was trailing off because going anywhere could possibly end up in another building fire. Plus, it was too risky to have the new anthro integrate in the population right now.

"How about…you go down to the beach, and we'll bring the food?" Sonic suggested, that being the only safe place he could come up with at the moment. It was still early morning too, so Emerald coast shouldn't be too populated.

The cat narrowed her eyes at him once more while Amy nodded enthusiastically. "Good idea!" she regarded the former stray, "It's the perfect place to have a little water-front breakfast!"

The feline didn't answer at first, but her rumbling stomach caused her to mutter, "Fine." Everyone marginally relaxed when the flames dancing in her palms were slowly died out.

"It'll be fun!" Amy encouraged, cautiously grabbing the other's wrist. She tensed but didn't resist. "And Tails, do you want to walk with us while Sonic and Silver get the food?"

Translation: _Could you come with me in case she does something unpredictable?_

"Yeah, sure!" Tails agreed. Maybe with him being a fox, a fellow predator, the cat wouldn't do anything dangerous. Or at least he could try to persuade her from doing so.

The kitten's frown was prominent, but she didn't oppose the idea.

Sonic gave a thumbs up. "Solid plan! Silver and I will pick up something and meet you guys there!"

Amy nodded once more before slightly tugging the other's wrist. "Come on! The coast is only a handful blocks away!" She strolled out of the alleyway, and the feline let herself be guided.

Silver made sure to step out of the way as they passed, avoiding the predator's eyes. Sonic put a comforting hand on his shoulder and asked Tails, "Any preferences?"

"It doesn't matter to me," Tails answered before glancing at the girls. "Just…make sure there's some kind of meat."

Sonic snickered. "Gotcha!" He watched as the trio walked away, them trying to avoid close interactions with other people as much as possible. "Well, that went different than expected."

"For _you_ maybe…" Silver knew that nothing good would come out of meeting that cat. He faced the blue hero, not liking any of this. "I told you that she was dangerous! And now she can throw _fire?_ "

"Which is the reason we should keep her close, Silv!" Sonic reasoned, gesturing the way they had came from. "We can't just leave her alone, because more fires could happen! Also, she's in the same situation as you. Remember how scared you were after turning? Imagine if you were out here by yourself."

Silver wanted to argue, but he realized that he couldn't. Honestly, he couldn't imagine how it would've been like if he'd been alone on the streets surrounded by everything. The feline was probably anxious and confused, not knowing what was going on. He could empathize with her on that front, but at the same time…

The white hedgehog sighed, absently rubbing his arm. "I know, but-"

"You're worried, I get it." Sonic stepped closer and mussed Silver's head quills, hoping the contact was enough to soothe him a little. He smiled at the half-amused, half-annoyed look he received. "But what did I say about protecting you, huh?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Silver took his hand and interlocked their fingers, squeezing. Sonic sucked in a breath when he leaned forward and nuzzled his cheek, whispering, "What about you? If you ever get seriously hurt-"

"By a little kitty?" Sonic lightly teased to distract himself from the fluttering in his stomach, the warmth of Silver's touch, and the fact that someone could easily see them like this and he didn't know how he felt about that yet.

Silver leaned back with a quiet huff. "By a cat who could fry you up crispy in a second."

"But what about you?" Sonic reminded. He wanted to ease Silver's phobia was much as possible. "You're not helpless either, or did you forget about your cool powers?"

The psychic knew that he couldn't rely on them though. "It's not like I know how to really _control_ them yet…"

"I'll keep a pack of pepper on me in case she tries anything."

Silver couldn't stifle his chuckle. It wasn't fair how Sonic could do that. Just…lighten his mood so easily. Well, he couldn't be surprised because Sonic had always been a happy person. And, from what he had seen from his little enclosure, he was an expert of cheering other people up too.

Silver wanted to learn all he could from him.

"So, uh…" The topic of the cat wasn't going anywhere, so Silver switched it up. "What're we getting for breakfast?"

Sonic tapped his chin in thought. "Hm…I had promised you eggs earlier, but we gotta get somthin' with meat too-" He snapped his fingers, getting an idea. "Biscuits! Never can go wrong with those!"

"They have eggs and meat on them?"

"The kind we're getting are! Bacon, egg, and cheese!"

Silver was somewhat familiar with eggs and cheese, but, "What's bacon?"

"Oh, you'll find out!"

* * *

"Whoa! That's the ocean?!"

The awe in Silver's voice caused Sonic to smile fondly. He watched Silver shuffle through the warm sand, wonder etched into his features. The beach had never been Sonic's first pick for a vacation spot, but Silver's reaction alone might get him to change that.

Sonic was relieved when all of the psychic's tension melted away at the shifting waves. Silver had been jumpy the whole time they were getting food. Sonic assumed that he had gotten used to the city at least a little bit, but he guessed that the fire feline's appearance had put him on edge.

Now that they had made it out of the bustling crowd, enjoying the emptier beach, Silver was more open. Sonic hoped that he stayed that way when they met up with Amy, but he had a feeling things wouldn't be so easy.

Silver jogged closer to the shoreline, stopping where waves barely lapped at his borrowed shoes. The cool sea breeze rustled their quills, Silver's longer ones flowing freely in the wind. He closed his eyes with a carefree smile as the breeze caressed his face.

Sure, the ocean was breath-taking, but Sonic couldn't take his eyes off Silver. It was just amazing how a small smile could make his heart swell, how it made him want to…hug him? Kiss him again? Sonic didn't know, but the sun's rays were hitting those silvery quills the right way, adding to Silver's softness, and Sonic couldn't believe that he had known him _all_ this time.

Who knew that a strange piece of cat food would affect his life this much?

"Sonic! Silver! Over here!"

Thrown out of his thoughts, Sonic searched for the source of the voice. Tails was flying high in the sky, waving them down. Right under him were Amy and the newcomer. They were sitting at a circular table shaded by a large umbrella.

"Comin'!" Sonic responded before gesturing to Silver to follow. When they reached the group, the blue hero sat beside Tails, Silver settling on the other side of him. Ignoring the feline's sharp gaze, Sonic put the big bag he had on the table, grinning. "Who's ready to chow down?"

"After everything I've been through today? I'm starving!" Amy was the first to reach into the bag. "You got biscuits? They smell so good!" She took out the wrapped breakfast item and a water bottle, setting them in front of her quietly observing neighbor. "Go ahead and dig in!"

The feline glanced at Amy and then sent a distrustful look at Sonic, sharply frowning. The speedster gave a friendly smile, and she looked back down at the biscuit, making no move to touch it.

Tails was unwrapping his own breakfast. "Maybe she needs some encouragement…?"

Amy grabbed another biscuit and bit into it. "It's great!" She nudged her neighbor, who stiffened, and gently encouraged, "Go ahead, I know you're hungry."

The cat looked around the table again. Tails and Sonic were enjoying their food, the latter trying to be as innocent as possible. Silver was losing himself in the bursts of flavor, keeping his eyes on the distance waters to avoid her gaze.

It took a minute or so, but she eventually copied Amy's actions and nibbled into the biscuit. Her eyes widened marginally before she took a bigger bite, her contently swishing tail opposing her controlled expression.

"How is it?" Amy asked after swallowing.

The feline silently nodded.

Sonic chuckled, riding his face of crumbs. "Guess that's better than nothing!" He faced Silver and raised in interested brow. "What about you, Silv?"

"Huh?" Silver tore his gaze off the ocean, slowly processing the question. He ultimately nodded. "Oh, yeah! It's pretty good. Kinda dry though." He reached for a water bottle, brow furrowing as he examined it. "Uh…how do you open this?"

Sonic took another bite and answered around the egg, "You just gotta twist the top!"

After trying and failing, Silver frowned. "Are you sure? Because-"

"You might wanna try the other way."

He followed Sonic's rather delayed instructions, opening the bottle with ease. Silver was about to point out how amused Sonic was seeing him struggle, but there was a sudden tickle in his nose that made his gut drop. His hands were too preoccupied to do anything to stop it.

Silver suddenly sneezed. The water bottle flew right out of his hand and _straight_ for the distracted feline, dowsing her in the cold water.

She yowled in surprise, the last bite of her biscuit was burned to ashes by her red-hot fingers, and Silver's life flashed before his very eyes.

Amy gasped and attempted to calm the other down, rushing out, "It's okay! It was an accident! Silver didn't mean to-"

That was as far as she got before a fireball was launched right at Silver's face.

He screamed, closing his eyes and holding up his hands to block. He was ready for the intense heat, but it never came.

"Whoa…"

Tails' stunned voice caused Silver to peek his eyes open to see why the flames hadn't hit him yet. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of the fireball _floating_ over the table. A cyan aura surrounded the red and orange sphere of heat, freezing it mid-air.

Everyone, including the purple feline, was staring in various stages of awe.

Sonic was having trouble scraping his chin off the ground. "Silv, you…that's _awesome!_ "

Tails temporarily forgot out his breakfast, leaning forward in interest. "You can say that again! Can you move it around, Silver?"

"Um…" Shock and wonder filled Silver's veins now, but the terror was still there as well. The cat was staring with a furrowed brow – he didn't know if she would make another move, and honestly, he'd rather _not_ try to move it because he'd never forgive himself if he burned someone here. "Maybe? But I…" He focused on his own glowing hands. "I don't know how well I can control it, and I don't want to hurt anyone."

Sonic chuckled. "Isn't it a little too late for that?" This wasn't the first time that his powers went wonky. "Moving it a bit shouldn't hurt anybody, right?"

Silver bit his lip, hoping that Sonic was right. Swallowing thickly, he shifted his hands slightly to the left, and the glowing ball followed the movement.

Sonic and Tails seemed even more amazed while the cat stared in confusion. Amy was smiling broadly as she fished in the bag for napkins. "You have better control over your powers now, Silver! I wonder what changed from before?"

Silver had no clue. He did know that he didn't want to hold this extremely hot fire anymore, so with the upmost concentration, he carefully floated the ball over Sonic's head and positioned it over the golden sand. Then he remembered that to turn it off, he had to relax.

After loosening his tense muscles and taking a steadying breath, the fireball dropped to the sand. It sizzled before eventually burning out, leaving charred grains.

"Ok, so." Sonic threw an arm over Silver's shoulders, giddy about this new find. "We're _definitely_ playin' with this power of yours later! It's crazy!"

Tails nodded enthusiastically. "Not only can you move still objects, you can control projectiles too! You're full of surprises!"

Silver softly smiled at the praise and contact, flexing his fingers.

"Speaking of surprises," Amy handed the feline some napkins, and she eyed them, slightly puzzled. Amy took the rest and started to dry the dress as best as she could. The other copied her actions after a moment. The pinkette gave her a light chastising look. "Why did you throw that at Silver? He didn't spill water on you on purpose!"

The feline threw Silver a dirty look – he took a sip out of Sonic's bottle to distract himself – before refocusing on Amy. "Even so, I'm still wet."

Her tone was so unapologetic that it made Amy frown. "Could you at least say that you're sorry?"

She remained silent.

Silver guiltily watched her clean herself up. Accident or not, he _did_ start the whole mess, so he built up as much courage as he could and stuttered out, "I-I…" He almost clammed up when sharp golden eyes met him, but he kept going when Sonic gave him an encouraging squeeze. "I'm sorry s-spilling water on you."

Her intimidating gaze made him instinctively want to look away; however, he didn't know if it was Sonic by his side, or the fact that he could possibly block any of her attacks, but he fought to maintain eye contact. If she was going to stick around, he had to get used to her soon anyway…

It wasn't until Amy nudged her that she responded with a curt, "Just don't do it again."

"G-Got it!"

When Amy sighed, Tails finished his biscuit and tried to see the bright side. "At…least it's something?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's something." Amy continued to dry the other off, huffing. "But you have to start being nicer to people, especially my friends, okay?" No response. Amy pushed harder. "Come on! Ever since I found you, I've fed you. Don't you at least owe me this?"

Silver didn't know if it was his imagination, but something in that golden stare shifted. "I'll try," she finally conceded. "As long as they keep their water to themselves."

Sonic grinned, glad that there was no more fire-throwing. "Sounds fair!"

Amy examined the feline, seeing that there was nothing left to do but to let her air dry. "At least it was just water, not like it really mattered with this dress," she said, pulling at the frayed ends of the sleeves.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask about that!" Tails pointed at the dress. "Was she wearing that when you found her, Amy? Because Silver wasn't wearing any socks or anything when he transformed."

"Nope! I found it in the second hand store we were beside. Same with her sandals so the concrete wouldn't ruin her feet." She eyed the dress's questionable condition. "They're not the best, but they were free."

Tails' brow creased. "Wait, so does that mean she had been walking around-"

"We're not going to think about that." Amy instantly shut the thought down, facing her neighbor with a gentle smile. "And instead focus on something else! I don't know if you've thought about this, but would you mind if I gave you a name?" At the suspicious look she received, Amy added, "It'll be great to have one! And you don't want us to just call you 'cat', right?"

She didn't seem too convinced, but she asked anyway, "What name?"

Amy brightened. "Well, before all of this, I had planned to name you Dot because of the spot on your forehead." The other frowned up at that, clearly not liking it, and the pinkette waved her off. "But now, I think you deserve something fierier! Like um…maybe Ember?"

"After seeing what she threw at Silver?" Tails decided to give his opinion. "That was bigger than an ember. How about…Scorch?"

Amy scrunched her nose up at the sound of that one, but before she could turn it down, Sonic hopped in. "Seriously? She can do _way_ more than burn! Under the right circumstances, I'm sure she can bring any Eggman lab down in a fiery bl-" He gasped, perking up. "That's it! We could call her Blaze!"

Tails shared his excitement. "That's perfect!"

Amy tried the name on her tongue before asking the pensive feline, "Do you like the name Blaze? Can we call you that?"

She glanced over at the smiling Sonic, holding his warm gaze for a moment, and answered, "It's fitting…and I like the sound of it." The words ' _Even though it came from him',_ hung in the air.

Amy ignored the implication, clapping her hands at the development. "That settles it!"

Silver was hesitant. "Are you sure about this, Amy? Naming her after what she did to your apartment?"

The pinkette sobered up a bit at that. "I'm not going to hold that against her. If she's anything like you, then her powers are still a little unreliable too." She addressed Blaze, who seemed more withdrawn than before. Amy subtly frowned. "Were the fires accidental, Blaze?"

She nodded, to everyone's relief. "I didn't mean to destroy your home." Blaze dragged a finger through the ashes of the leftover biscuit. "I had been hungry, and…"

She trailed off, but there was an expression on her face that Silver could sympathize with. He had been _terrified_ when it first happened. Plus, if she was like him, then extreme emotion could be a trigger. "Scared?" he delicately provided.

Blaze didn't confirm it, but she didn't oppose either.

Amy quickly grabbed one of her hands and squeezed, startling her. The pinkette didn't let go, her determined gaze unwavering. "You don't have to be scared anymore because you have us, okay? I feel _so_ bad about you being all alone like this for so long! From now on we'll be here to help you adjust like we're doing with Silver, and-" Amy smiled. "-whenever you want more of these biscuits, just say the word!"

Blaze's eyes were wide as she took in Amy's welcoming features, searching for any lies or deceit. Then the smallest of smiles adorned her face, and she whispered, "Okay."

Amy beamed, giving her yet another squeeze before letting go. "But first thing's first, we have to introduce you to some people. They're close friends of ours and are who we're probably going to be staying with for a while."

Tails was doubtful when he caught on to what she was saying. "Is that a good idea, Amy?" He didn't want anyone getting hurt or another building to be burned down.

"Definitely!" she replied in confidence. "Do you know anyone who could hate Cream and Ms. Vanilla for more than thirty seconds?"

"…Does Eggman count?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Any hate Eggman has for us all stems from Sonic, so that doesn't really count." She sent an encouraging grin Blaze's way. "But anyway, I'm sure you'll love them! And maybe Ms. Vanilla will have some old clothes you could borrow!"

Blaze's smile had waned at this point. "We're really staying with them?" The reluctance in her voice was palpable.

"Yeah, but everything'll be fine!" Amy reassured. "I trust them, and you trust me, right?"

It took a while, but Blaze ultimately nodded a yes.

Sonic couldn't help but to smile at that, remembering using the same logic with Silver. It was a very effective strategy.

"Great!" Amy chirped. "They should be awake now and would be happy to meet you, Blaze!" After a beat, she addressed at the psychic, "And I guess you too, Silver!"

Silver was excited to properly meet them too, but, "We're leaving now?" He aimed his next question at Sonic, struggling to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "Can we come back to the beach later?"

There was a sparkle in his eyes that Sonic couldn't say no to, not like he was going to do it anyway. "Of course we can, Silv! The water's not goin' anywhere!" He stood up, collecting his trash. "And it's a great place to practice your powers! Not a lot of stuff to break out here in case of a wayward sneeze," he teased.

"He could still throw you." Tails smirked at him as he, along with everyone else, gathered their trash. "You might be learning how to swim today if you get too close to the water!"

Sonic almost regretted the suggestion now.

Silver rose a brow at the speedster, stepping up to his side after they passed a trash can and dumped their stuff into it. "You don't know how to swim?"

Amy giggled with Blaze silently listening on the other side of her. "Swim? He barely knows how to float!"

"I can float!" Sonic puffed out his cheeks, hoping that Silver believed the slight lie. The chuckles coming from him was a bad sign, however. "You can't laugh, Silver! You don't know how to either!"

Silver had enough vivid memories of swimming laps in the bathtub to dispute that. "Yeah, I can! And you've seen me do it!"

Sonic rolled his eyes. "You were in your old body! That doesn't count."

"Pretty sure that counts," Tails quipped, them both snickering at how Sonic muttered about trust and betrayal.

All smiles then instantly dropped when a booming explosion sounded off in the distance.

Sonic whipped his head in that direction, seeing rising smoke and hearing screams. He was willing to bet _anything_ that a particular egg-shaped man had made a surprise visit.

Before he could even think about blasting off, trembling fingers had his arm in a vice grip. Sonic met wide and frantic eyes, knowing already what Silver was going to beg him to do. But he couldn't especially with the screams growing louder in the background.

He kept his voice kind yet stern. "I know you don't want me to go, Silv, but I gotta-"

"I know." Silver took a deep breath, steeling his expression. "I know you have to, but I'm coming with you."

Sonic instantly shut that idea down. The visual of Silver possibly getting hurt by wayward missiles or hostile robots was almost too much. Silver wasn't ready for any confrontation yet, so he should stay as safe as possible.

The blue hero shook his head with a reassuring smile. "You're not ready yet! Once we get your powers more under control, then we can let you face Eggy. Until then-"

"No! No." Silver stepped closer to him, his grasp borderline painful. Many emotions were swirling in those golden irises; Sonic was left almost breathless at their intensity. "You're not leaving me alone again."

Sonic remembered Silver's heart wrenching cries after the first fire, and he was torn. He refused to let him get hurt, but at the same time, knowing how terrified Silver would be made something in him twist. Also, he fully realized that Silver wouldn't take no for an answer.

So, he as willing to compromise. "How 'bout this…you can come watch, but stay out of the fray, okay?" Sonic winked. "I'll take care of this guy in no time! It's just Eggman! It'll be no different from the videos we showed you."

Silver's heart was pounding in his chest, and he hated the idea of Sonic fighting period. At least he was able to witness, not given the chance to assume the worst.

"I'll stay hidden," he breathed out. "Just don't get hurt."

Sonic ruffled his head quills. "Don't worry so much, Silv!" Then he faced Amy and Blaze, the latter narrowing her eyes at the rising smoke. "While we go, I think you guys should stay here. Don't want the wrong things getting burned down, y'know?"

Amy nodded, completely understanding. "Yeah, it's for the best! We have to keep everyone as safe as possible."

Sonic gently grabbed Silver's wrist, getting ready to zoom away. He beckoned Tails to follow. "You come too, bud! I want you to have a bird's-eye view just in case Egghead wants to pull any crazy tricks."

Tails saluted him, whirling his namesakes. "On it!"

As more ashes rose into the air, Sonic took off with a wave. "We'll be back!" Tails flew after him, and Silver swallowed his nervousness as he was pulled along.

Sonic sped into the city, careful while he darted through traffic and around blocks so he wouldn't whip Silver around too much.

He reached the site of chaos within the minute.

Sonic skidded to a stop in a neighboring alleyway, peering out at the giant robotic mech standing in the middle of the street. There were several holes in the buildings nearby with smoke rising from them; there weren't any fires in sight however.

A boisterous laugh filled the air, and Sonic's drifted his gaze back up to the robot's head. Inside, he could clearly see Eggman at the controls, enjoying every second of this.

Well, his fun was about to be over.

Sonic let go of Silver's wrist and faced him. He was almost taken aback at the amount of terror swirling in those golden eyes as they stared at the imposing machine.

"Hey." Sonic cradled Silver's face with both hands, making the psychic snap his attention to him. Their foreheads were almost touching. Sonic wanted more than anything to transfer all the confidence he had swirling within to Silver, but the best he could do was softly whisper, "Just trust me."

"I…" Silver's voice was just as quiet. It took a second, but his features relaxed and he nodded. "I trust you."

Sonic brightened. "Now watch this."

The speedster was a blur when he sprinted out of the alley, avoiding Eggman's line of sight. He bolted straight toward one of the robot's legs and curled into a tight ball. Sonic careened into the sturdy limb, slicing through the metal and wires like a knife through butter.

Eggman shouted in shock as Sonic uncurled and skidded to a stop on the asphalt, spinning around with a smirk. The robot was dangerously leaning now, smoke spewing from the destroyed leg.

There was cheering from frightened bystanders, and Sonic soaked it all up. "Funny to run into you again here, Eggface! Didn't expect ya to bounce back from your terrible defeat so soon!" It had only been a few days since Metal City, but Sonic honestly couldn't be surprised. That doctor was a very stubborn egg.

The neck of the robot twisted until Eggman found him. Any sign of surprise was gone from the man's face, it replaced by a devious smile. "Ah, it's about time you showed up, rodent!" The arms rotated as well, and Sonic prepared himself for any spontaneous attack. "You kept me waiting for far too long!"

From this angle, Sonic couldn't see if Silver was actually staying hidden, but he had faith that he would listen. The hero rolled his eyes at the doctor's words, still smirking. "I had been busy, Eggy! Caught me in the middle of something! Can we make this quick so I can go back to enjoying my day?"

"Oh, this _will_ be quick, pincushion." Eggman didn't seem bothered at all that his bot was literally on its last leg. "Because I've only come here today to relay a message to you." He was too giddy about _something,_ and Sonic was instantly put on guard. Eggman twirled his mustache. "You see, in three days, the two bombs I've planted in this city will detonate."

Sonic almost fell for it until he realized who he was talking to. He scoffed. "Yeah, right! You're gonna have to make a better lie than that, Egghead!"

Eggman leaned forward in his seat, his smile growing. "In seventy-two hours, buildings will be leveled, cars will disintegrate, and well, let's just say that anyone within the radius of the blasts won't be leaving unscathed. _If_ they leave at all. Believe me or not, it's your choice."

Sonic was beginning to get a bad feeling about this. Eggman was _way_ too calm and confident. "Even if you are tellin' the truth, I'm sure that the remote is hidden in that robot of yours! I could just-"

"They are already live and counting down _as we speak._ " Eggman leaned back in his seat once more. "The only way to disable them is getting _me_ to do it."

Sonic waved him off as worry was blossoming in his chest. "They're just bombs! I'm sure any trained professional could figure it out!" He was trying to shake that ever confident grin. "Plus, if push comes to shove, we'll just evacuate the city so no one gets hurt! Didn't really think this thing through, did ya?"

Eggman's goggles glinted in the sunlight. "Oh, I think I did. If you want those bombs gone, simply surrender to me, and I'll do so at this very moment."

Sonic snorted. "As if! You have no proof of anything! This could all be a big bluff!"

Eggman shrugged, smugness radiating off of him. "It very well could. You'll see in three days." There were a series of clicks, and a hovercraft separated from the body of the robot. Eggman cackled. "I'm sure you'll be able to find me if you change your mind!"

Sonic was about to run after him, but the giant mech collapsed with a rumbling thud, causing dust and debris to fly into the air. Sonic had raised a hand to protect his face; when everything settled, he lowered it and Eggman was gone.

Concerned chatter then filled the air from the people coming out of hiding, and Sonic couldn't blame them. A bomb threat would leave anyone at least a little anxious. Sonic didn't know how to feel. On one hand, Eggman could just be lying to spook them all, but on the other, he could be telling the _truth._

"Sonic!" Tails' familiar voice called from above. Sonic glanced up to see the kit flying towards him and landing at his side. Tails looked as unsure as he probably did. "Do you think he's telling the truth? Are there really bombs hidden away somewhere?"

Sonic rubbed the back of his neck, unable to really answer. "I dunno…but I think it's best if we try to look for 'em." That was better than taking a huge risk and ignoring the situation altogether.

Tails gestured all around them. "But the city's huge! How are we going to do that?"

"With a little help." Sonic was sure that a specific organization would have to get involved. "GUN should have a group that handles this type of stuff."

"Even so…" Tails wrung his fingers together. "To search every nook and cranny of the city in three days? That's-"

"Totally possible!" Sonic gave him a thumbs up. "Don't be so down, Tails! GUN as _tons_ of people who could help, and plus, going through places with me and Shads will be a cakewalk!"

Tails sighed. "I guess, but…I _really_ hope that Eggman's lying."

"Yeah, me too." Sonic bobbed his head over to where he came from. "After we find Silver, can you go fill Amy and Blaze in while we head over to the headquarters?"

"Sure! Want us to meet you over there?"

Sonic pursed his lips, thinking about Blaze, before answering, "Nah. Don't think that we should bring Blaze back into the thick of things so soon. We'll head back to the beach when we're done."

When Tails nodded, Sonic led him over to the alley, giving on-watchers an easygoing grin that should ease their fears at least for now. Silver perked up at their appearance, and Sonic boasted, "Wasn't that awesome or what?"

Silver would've shared his positivity if the threat of dangerous explosives hadn't been dropped on their heads. "It was kinda cool, I'll admit, but what is _with_ that man? I get that he might have a rivalry with you or something, but he's willing to...kill innocent people?"

Sonic shook his head. "Despite what it looks like, Eggman…" He was about to say that he never really aimed to kill, but that wasn't exactly true. "Nevermind, it's exactly what it looks like."

Silver wasn't reassured by that at all. Tails stepped in. "We haven't gotten the chance to really understand Eggman yet. Sometimes, he holds back, but other times, he does things that threaten the wellbeing of our entire planet."

Silver had no words for that.

"But I never let him get too far!" Sonic exclaimed, seeing how the other blanched. "Like with this bomb thing. We're stopping his plan for sure! Especially since we'll probably meet up with more of our friends."

Silver raised a reluctant brow. "Are they as nice as Cream and Ms. Vanilla?"

Sonic and Tails shared a look before the former smiled. "Let's just say yeah! Once you get used to them!"

"Wait, what's that supposed to-"

"Let's go meet 'em! See you in a bit, Tails!"

Sonic took Silver's wrist once more, and they blasted off.

Silver already missed the cool sea breeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eggman's definitely up to something...but at least Blaze's introduction went kinda smoothly, right?


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see how Silver deals with Sonic's military friends, shall we?

Standing in front of this so-called GUN building, Silver almost wished that he had accompanied Tails back to the beach.

The structure was imposing, towering over him. There were bulky vehicles and weaponry parked in front of the place, Silver terrified to take one more step closer.

There were _too_ many people meandering about as well. A mixture of humans and anthros in suits were everywhere he looked, either minding their own business or staring right back at him.

Silver scooted closer to Sonic's side, ready to get this over with. "A-Are your friends out here? Or are they inside?"

Sonic hummed as he scanned the bustling lot. He didn't get a glimpse of Rouge or Shadow anywhere. "Don't see them out here, so they might be inside. If not, we can go straight to the man in charge." He looked at the other glued to his arm and gave a reassuring smile. "No one's gonna bother you here, Silv! They know me, and they're focusin' more on their jobs than us."

"If you say so…" Silver muttered, avoiding the curious eyes still on him. He had no other choice but to believe Sonic, though. This place was a military base or something, right? Then they wouldn't break the law by attacking him. That somewhat calmed his nerves.

"Oh, hello, Blue!"

When Sonic turned at the voice, Silver did too, and his anxiety _immediately_ shot back up at the sight of a bat flying right towards them.

Oblivious to his discomfort, Sonic raised a friendly hand in greeting. "Hey, Rouge!" He then noticed a black and red hedgehog skating under her. "And Shads! Guess we're all here for the same reason, huh?"

"Seems so." Rouge landed in front of him, putting a hand on her hip. "We got called in about the little bomb threat the doctor dropped on our heads earlier. And I heard he tried to bribe you into waving the white flag."

Sonic scoffed. "Keyword: _tried._ Eggy's got a couple screws loose if he thinks that _this_ is the thing that'll guarantee a win."

"He's so desperate these days. It's a shame, really." Rouge shook her head in mock-disappointment before curiously peering at the white hedgehog cowering behind him. "Now, who do we have here?"

Sonic, seeing Silver's wariness, hoped that he would get used to all of his friends like he was warming up to Tails. He wasn't trembling, though. That was a plus. "This is Silver! He's a little shy." Sonic stepped a bit to the side, giving the psychic an encouraging smile. "Can you say hi, Silv? She won't bite."

"I don't know, hon." Rouge innocently teased, flashing a grin. "He looks sweet enough to sink my teeth into."

Silver actually _squeaked._

"Oh boy." Sonic should've known that this would happen, especially since he hadn't warned Silver beforehand. He faced Rouge's puzzled expression and explained, "Uh…he _really_ thinks that you might eat him." That didn't help with the confusion at all. Sonic went on to ask, "You know about my pet hedgehog back home, right?"

Rouge pursed her lips. "Yeah, I think so. Knuckles has mentioned it once or twice."

"Well, this is him!" Sonic animatedly gestured to Silver, the latter looking increasingly uncomfortable. "We fed him a new kind of cat food a few days ago, and then he turned into one of us!"

The confusion morphed into extreme doubt. Rouge furrowed her brow. "Is this some kind of prank, Blue?"

Before Sonic could defend the situation, Shadow asked, "What was in the cat food?" His question was curt and straight to the point, holding no doubt whatsoever.

Rouge sent him an incredulous look. "Wait, so you believe him?"

Sonic appreciated Shadow's belief, but he was thrown off-guard with how intently the striped one was staring at Silver. Silver was nervously staring back, just as puzzled as Sonic was. The speedster answered, "Tails scanned it but didn't find anythin'. We're waiting on a response from the owner of the company to find out exactly what happened. Why? What's got your quills in a knot?"

Shadow didn't respond to the jab, simply giving Sonic a pointed glance. "He's filled with Chaos energy." He crossed his arms, reexamining Silver. "Nearly as much as you."

"Whoa, really?" Sonic perked up at the surprising news. But then again, Silver had to have gotten his ability from _somewhere_ , right? Sonic nudged Silver. "That's probably how you got your powers, Silv!"

Silver had no idea what Chaos energy was or how this _very_ intense hedgehog could sense it, but he subtly nodded anyway because Sonic seemed so excited.

"Powers?" Rouge asked, her uncertainty dissipating. "What powers?"

Sonic guided Silver forward a bit and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Telekinesis! Go ahead, Silv! Show 'em!"

"Um." Even if Silver wanted to, he probably would have _zero_ control over them because concentration was the last thing on his mind right now. He was standing in front of a bat who was raising _many_ red flags and a hedgehog who shouldn't be as intimidating as he was. He _looked_ like a hedgehog, but… "S-Shouldn't you take care of the bomb stuff first?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes, Silver gulped, and Sonic wondered _why_ Shads was acting this way. He wasn't the friendliest person in the world, but this was a bit over-kill.

Rouge looked between them before taking control of the situation. "He's right," she said, jabbing her chin in the direction of the base. "We can talk about this more after we come up with a game plan for this bomb issue. Shall we?"

Shadow grunted, making his way toward the entrance with Rouge following suit.

Silver felt like he could breathe a little easier. He watched them go, muttering, "You seriously should've given me a better warning. What's up with that Shadow guy? Is he really your friend?"

Sonic was going to have to make up for this little interaction later. He hadn't expected it to go like this. "He wouldn't admit it, but yep!" At Silver's odd look, he explained, "Shadow's uh…complicated. But he's a good friend, though, and Rouge is too."

"Rouge wants to bite me."

"She wasn't being serious! It was a playful tease. She does that sometimes." Sonic chuckled to lighten the mood. He took a step forward, wanting to go before they got left behind. "Try to relax a bit, 'kay? I know we're in a new place and all, but you're safe. Promise."

Silver took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll try." He held hands with Sonic – to the speedster's surprise – and gave a squeeze. Then his lips twitched into a small smirk. "But if she does bite me, I'm holding that over your head forever."

Sonic led him along, snickering. "You have no faith! I'm hurt." He faced forward, about to say something else, but he caught Rouge looking back at them. Her eyes drifted down to their interlocked fingers, and an interested brow slowly rose.

Feeling suddenly flustered, Sonic felt heat rise to his cheeks when Rouge knowingly grinned. It wasn't that he didn't want his friends to find out about him and Silver, but that this was the first time that he'd actually gave the situation some thought.

He could already hear the embarrassing conversations now.

Hoping that his blush wasn't too prominent, Sonic strolled forward with Silver at his side.

* * *

"You're not getting involved."

Sonic blinked in surprise at the dismissive tone, not expecting that at all. He leaned against the expansive desk in front of him and frowned. "Seriously? Why not? This is Eggman stuff, I always deal with Eggman stuff!"

The Commander of GUN wasn't fazed by his outburst, shuffling through paperwork as other members ambled around the large office. "While that's true, the priority of this situation isn't _who_ made the bombs, but _what_ they are. They aren't something you can simply spin into and destroy. A _specialized_ team is needed for this, and you're not qualified."

Sonic kind of understood where he was coming from, but he wasn't going to sit on the sidelines for this. "I don't need to be qualified for anythin', though! I'm not gonna try to defuse them, that's your guys' job. Don't you want to use my speed to _find_ them?"

"We don't need speed. We need precision." The Commander opposed, voice steely. "We don't need you running around the city causing a panic. We've already sent out a message to the public to contact us if they had seen any suspicious activity in the last few days that might give us hints about the whereabouts of the bombs."

Sonic glanced over at Rouge and Shadow who were silently observing the conversation. "What about them? They're on the case, but I'm pretty sure they don't know how to safely defuse a bomb."

"While that's true, they have more skills in their arsenal we can utilize than you do." Sonic gaped in shock, re-realizing why he had always stayed clear of this guy. He and GUN had a strained relationship at _best._ The Commander dismissed him with a wave. "If you want to help so badly, find the doctor and convince him to shut them down. Now leave, I have business to attend to with my agents."

Sonic figured that he had a point about the Eggman thing, but he didn't have to be so rude about it. Then again, what did he expect from the person who had once tried to run him over with a truck?

"Fine!" he huffed, smothering the childish urge to stick out his tongue. "I'm going to find Eggman and shut down his plan before you find a single bomb! Just watch! You'd appreciate my _speed_ then!"

"I'm sure we will," the Commander uttered, obviously waiting for him to leave.

Sonic wasn't going to deny him any longer. He turned on his heel and waved to his friends. "Well, I'm gone. Good luck on your side, guys!"

Shadow curtly nodded, and Rouge returned the gesture. "Back at you, hon." The same grin from before appeared on her face. "And we might come visit later if we can. Haven't spoken in a while and _looks_ like we've got some stuff to catch up on."

Heat threatened to rise to his cheeks once more because he was sure that the 'stuff' she was talking about was Silver – and not just about his existence either.

"If you want! We will either be at the beach or my house, depending on when you're done," he said and left before she could say anything else embarrassing. As soon as he stepped out of the office and closed the door behind him, Silver was in his space. He had to leave the psychic in the hall because of 'top secret things'. The Commander's words, not his.

Silver took one look at Sonic's expression and automatically knew that something went awry. "What happened in there?"

Sonic rubbed the back of his head. "The Commander was bein' stubborn, as always. He wouldn't let me help."

Silver frowned at that and felt guilty at the small amount of relief that bubbled within. Sonic wouldn't be wrapped up in this mess. "Why not?"

"Stupid reasons." Sonic sighed before smirking. "But, I told him that I would find Eggman and get everything straightened out _before_ they would find the first bomb."

And the tiny bit of relief Silver held was squashed. "Why?"

"To prove a point! No one calls Sonic the Hedgehog useless and gets away with it!"

Silver couldn't help but to smile at his enthusiasm, despite the high chance of him not finding the doctor in time. Did he even _know_ where Eggman was right now?

And if Sonic was going to meet with him, then… "Can I go with you when you talk to him?" He'd rather not have Sonic go alone despite the experience he had. He would be worried sick.

"Hm…" Sonic thought about it before his smirk widened. If he'd asked earlier today, Sonic would've nicely shut him down because of safety. But Silver had pulled that little trick today with Blaze's fire, and he believed that the psychic would be a fast learner. "Only if you work hard with developing your powers. Those'll really come in handy with takin' on Eggman! You'll totally throw him for a loop!"

Nervousness danced within him, but Silver perked up anyway. "For sure! I'll work hard on them!"

Sonic crossed his arms and leaned forward. "You sure you're up to it? The training will be tough."

Silver nodded in confidence. "Definitely."

"It takes a lot of training to take on Egghead." There was a spark of mischief in Sonic's eyes. "I won't go easy on ya."

Leaning forward as well, Silver gave his own smirk. "You don't scare me. I can handle it."

They were so close that their noses were nearly touching, and Sonic adored the fire that had sparked in those golden eyes.

"Ahem."

Sonic jolted straight and just realized that there was a group of agents standing impatiently to the side of them. He glanced from them to the office door he and Silver were completely blocking.

Slightly embarrassed, Sonic grasped Silver's arm and pulled him to the side. "Sorry 'bout that!" The workers didn't spare them another glance before walking inside. He and Silver shared a look and briefly chuckled. "Let's ditch this place," Sonic suggested. "These guys are too strict for my tastes."

"No arguments there." Silver hadn't been here for long, but he already yearned for fresh air once more. "Let's go back to the beach."

* * *

"That is _so_ unfair," Amy muttered after Sonic had shared the news with her. "Did they forget that they only have three days to find the bombs?"

Tails cradled his chin, the sea breeze rustling his bangs. "I see where the Commander's coming from, though. Kinda. And it's almost like he's asking in a roundabout way for you to help out."

"Huh…" Sonic hadn't really thought about it like that. Of course Mr. Buzzkill wouldn't outright ask for help. "Guess you're right!"

Amy stressfully rubbed her forehead. "This is such a mess…" She shook her head before asking, "What do we do now?"

Sonic tapped his foot against the sand, thinking. He glanced over at Blaze, who was sitting at the same table they had occupied earlier. She was quietly listening to their conversation with a subtle frown.

The speedster pursed his lips when his attention drifted over to Silver. He was by the shore again where the shallow waves grazed his shoes. Crouching low, Silver lowered his hand and shifted it through the water.

Sonic watched him for a second before saying, "I think me and Silv should stay here to work on his powers." He faced Amy and Tails once more. "Tails, Imma need you to get searchin' for Eggman, see if you can locate him anywhere. And Ames, you and Blaze should still head for Cream's place. Get her comfortable, y'know?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah, we can do that. But weren't you going to introduce Silver to them too?"

"We'll stop by later! I wanna work with him now because if I _do_ take him with me-"

"-you want to make sure he's ready." Amy finished for him. "I get it! There's _no_ telling how amazing he'll be once he gets it down pat. Blaze too!" She smiled back at the cat, and Blaze simply cocked a brow. Thinking of something, Amy addressed Sonic. "Oh, can I spill the beans about Silver? I can't wait to see Cream's and Vanilla's faces when the news is dropped!"

Sonic snickered. "Go ahead! After showing them Blaze, they'll have to believe ya, right?"

"I want to be there when you tell them too!" Tails piped up, namesakes swishing back and forth. "After that, I'll go home and start searching for anything Eggman related. And see if that man emailed me back yet…"

Amy clasped her hands together. "Then, it's settled! Come on, Blaze! Let's introduce you to your temporary home!" When the feline stood and stepped up to her side, the pinkette asked, "Try extra hard not to set anything on fire over there, okay?"

Blaze looked down at her own palms. Thin tendrils of smoke were rising from them. She murmured, "I can't make any promises, but I'll make an effort."

"That's good enough for me!" Amy flipped a hand. "And I'm sure the Rabbits will forgive you anyway when they understand the situation. As long as you don't burn their house down."

"Again…no promises."

Tails hummed pensively. "I wonder if inside-out oven mitts would help lower the risk?"

Amy almost looked relieved at his suggestion. "We definitely need to try that once we get there." She then cupped her mouth with her hands and shouted, "Hey, Silver!" When the addressed whipped his head around, she continued, "We're going to Cream's house, see you in a bit!"

Silver seemed a little surprised, probably not expecting them to go, but he smiled and waved anyway.

Tails and Amy waved back, the former regarding Sonic, "I'll come get you guys if I find anything out."

Sonic gave him a thumbs up. "Gotcha!"

The trio walked off, Amy hooking her arm with Blaze's, and Sonic believed that he should tell them about him and Silver later, when everything blew over.

Nodding to himself and eager to start Silver's training, Sonic turned on his heel, jogging through the sand over to him. "We're about to start now! I hope you're ready!"

Silver dried his wet hand on his side and wondered what Sonic had in store. "What are we doing first?"

His brow furrowed when the hero started to jog a little faster. "Somethin' easy! Just catch me with your powers!"

"Catch-" Silver's eyes widened when it clicked. His gut dropped, and he waved his hands frantically in front of him. "Wait! No! I-I'm not ready for that yet!"

"'Course you are! You've done it before!"

"Not on _purpose-"_

"Too late!"

Sonic jumped high into the air, flying _right_ towards him, and Silver had to do something before the other painfully crashed into him.

Hoping that this would work, Silver thrusted out a hand and frantically shouted, "Stop!" Something in his mind shifted, a burst of color surrounded his fingers, and Sonic froze mid-air. He was so close that Silver's hand was almost grazing his chest.

Silver gazed in wonder as his heart pounded against his ribcage. "I…I did it…" A victorious smile adorned his face as the feat sunk in. "I actually did it!"

Sonic was glad that he took the risk. "See? I knew you wouldn't drop me!"

"Did you really?" Silver asked because he sure had some doubts. "And couldn't you have tested this out another way without giving me a heart attack?"

"Nope! The only ways you've activated your powers was either makin' you sneeze or getting your emotions outta whack. I had to prove it!"

At that explanation, Silver couldn't exactly be mad. One, because there was _no_ way he could get angry at that face, and two, Sonic wasn't wrong. He'd never used his powers on purpose, always accidental.

Until now.

"Okay, so…are we going to focus on using it when I'm calmer?"

Sonic nodded with a wink. "Yep, that's the next step!" He glanced down at his floating body. "Whenever you want to put me down."

"O-Oh! Right." Silver heavily exhaled to control his rapid pulse, guiding Sonic back down to the damp sands. The cyan light faded when he lowered his hand. He still couldn't believe that he'd been gifted like this. First was the transformation, and then this…it was crazy.

"Looks like you've got the 'shutting off' part down pat!" Sonic looked around their area and smiled when he found what he was searching for. "So, we don't have to worry about that!"

Silver watched him go over and pick something out of the drenched sand. "What are you getting?"

"A few seashells to help with your training! They're small and light. Easy things that you can – _catch!_ "

"Huh?" Silver didn't register the shell being tossed at him until it hit him in the chest. He blinked as it splashed in the shallow water below. "You wanted me to catch that? You barely gave any warning!"

Sonic tossed another seashell up and down, musing. "Uh huh. I wanted to check your reflexes, and we gotta work on those for sure." When Silver pouted at the unfairness of it, Sonic chuckled. "But we'll do that later! First, try to snag this one with your powers." He shook the shell in his hand. "Ready?"

"Sure…" Silver concentrated on the shell, nodding after a moment. "Toss it."

Sonic did so. Silver thrusted an arm out like before, and the seashell fell right at his feet. It got washed away by the shallow tide, and Silver muttered, "Well, that didn't work…"

Sonic wasn't deterred, however. "It's fine! Did you really think that you would get it on your first try?" Silver didn't get a chance to admit to it, for Sonic advised, "You gotta keep going! The reward feels _so_ much better when you work for it."

Silver pondered that for a moment before agreeing. "I guess you're right…"

"I know I am!"

Silver rolled his eyes and gestured for him to throw another shell. He attempted to block everything out as it flew, lifting his hand at the right moment. It fell to the water again, and Silver felt hints of frustration creeping up.

He smothered it, though, because Sonic's words echoed in his mind. He had to practice so he could get better, so he could help protect Sonic like he had protected him.

However, when shell after shell fell out of the air with no seeable progress, the exasperation steadily grew.

And Sonic saw it, too. It was clear in how Silver gritted his teeth, ran stiff fingers through his quills, and looked at each shell with decreasing hope.

Thinking that it was time for a change in pace, Sonic dropped all of the seashells he had collected until he was holding just one. He approached Silver and softly called, "Hey." Stormy golden irises met his gaze, and Sonic smiled. "How about this…cup your hands together."

Confusion was written all over his face, but Silver did what he was told. Once his hands were cupped, Sonic placed the shell in his palms. "Try to make this one float." He held Silver's hands in his own, thumbs slightly rubbing against the other's wrists. Sonic could already see him relaxing at the touch, despite how miniscule it was. "You got this."

Silver blinked owlishly at him. "Yeah…" He dropped his attention to the seashell resting in his hold. "I can do this." Silver released a shaky sigh. "Sorry about before. I just-"

Sonic shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Everyone gets a little frustrated sometimes. It's natural." His lips twitched upwards. "Now let's see what that incredible brain of yours can do."

Warmth filled Silver at the reassurance, and he was even more determined to pull this off. He stared at the seashell, its off-white coloring near identical to his own. He steadied his breathing and focused his mind.

After a few quiet moments, there hadn't been any movement, and Silver muttered, "Come on, come on…" Sonic rubbed his wrists again in silent encouragement, them both keenly watching the shell.

Seconds ticked by, the sounds of shifting waters, overhead seagulls, and distant voices reaching their ears. Silver didn't allow himself to get distracted, pouring all he had just to get the shell to _twitch._

And then it did.

They simultaneously gasped, snapping their heads up to look at each other. Sonic beamed at him. "You did it, Silv!"

Silver shook his head, refocusing on the seashell. "Not yet." The goal was to make it levitate, and he wasn't going to celebrate until he succeeded.

He tried to replicate the same connection as before. He didn't know how to describe it. It was almost if he had flicked the shell with an invisible third hand. Like his mind was a third arm, reaching and reaching and-

Silver's breath hitched when the seashell floated out of his hand. It was only about an inch or so, but it was still _floating._ "That's…I'm…"

The pure happiness on Silver's face was contagious, Sonic barely containing his own glee. "You're _amazing_ , Silver."

That compliment made Silver's heart _soar._

Until Sonic plucked the shell out of the air. "Not as much as I am but-" He teased and tossed it up high, Silver stopping its descent right before it hit his forehead. "-you're gettin' there."

Silver scoffed, but nothing could hurt his high right now.

"So that's the power you were talking about."

Well, maybe something.

Surprised at the new voice, Silver whirled around to find Shadow approaching them. He was alone, Rouge nowhere to be found, and Silver only felt a smidge of relief about that. He still didn't know how to feel about this new hedgehog.

Sonic was caught off-guard by the newcomer as well. He waved a hand in greeting anyway. "Uh, hey, Shads! What are you doin' here? Aren't you supposed to be talking with Mr. Stick-in-the-Mud?"

"I only needed to step out for a while. I told Rouge to pay attention while I was gone." Shadow eyed Silver – his gaze sharp and calculating – before giving Sonic his full attention. "I came here to talk to you."

Sonic furrowed his brow, pondering what was so important to skip out on a tactics meeting. "Okay, well, you're here now-"

"Alone."

Shadow's tone was inarguable, and while Sonic was hesitant to separate himself from Silver, this was apparently something he had to hear. He faced Silver, whose nervousness was written on his face for all to see, and patted his shoulder. "Can you stay here and practice on more shells while we step away for a bit?"

Silver wanted to object, but then again, Sonic had said that him and this guy were friends. He wouldn't lie about that despite how serious Shadow looked. He swallowed thickly. "Just don't go too far."

"We won't!" Sonic placated before walking away, Shadow silently following him. The speedster trudged through the sand until they were far enough away for Silver to be out of earshot. Sonic stood under the shade of a palm tree, regarding his former rival, "So…what's up?"

Shadow wasn't looking at him. His attention was on Silver, who had been watching them go. However, once they made eye contact, the psychic busied himself with gathering seashells. Shadow crossed his arms and asked, "What's the full story with him?"

Sonic scratched his head. Couldn't this have waited until later? "Like I said earlier, cat food changed him into what we are. That's why he was so scared of Rouge before." Sonic shook his head in mirth. "He'd been hard-set that every predator was out to get him. Still kinda workin' with him through that."

Shadow noncommittally hummed. "And the telekinesis?"

"It developed afterward. He got a cold, sneezed, and you can imagine our surprise. We were trying to fine-tune it when you walked up." Sonic smirked. "Why? Jealous of what he can do or somethin'?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Shadow deadpanned at him, unamused. His gaze flickered over at Silver again. "He isn't normal."

The definition of normal was blurred these days, but Sonic agreed that Silver's situation was on the stranger side. "Isn't that sorta obvious? I mean, a few days ago, he could fit in the palm of my hand."

"While the transformation needs to be looked into as well, I'm not talking about that. The Chaos energy residing in him is…erratic."

Sonic rose a brow. Shouldn't chaos and unpredictability go hand and hand?

Shadow sighed. "Ours is moving freely through our bodies, ready to be used at any moment, but it's a steady _flow._ Within Silver, I sense inconsistent bursts of energy throughout him. Pulsating erratically. Like now." He eyed Silver's form. The psychic was cupping another seashell. "His energy is flickering in and out, tiny explosions occurring below the skin."

"Is that…bad?" Sonic hesitantly questioned. He had gotten the simplistic run-down of Chaos energy way back, how it allowed him to connect with the emeralds and such. Shadow knew way more about it than he did, though, and the prominent frown he was wearing wasn't a good sign. "Isn't that because of his inexperience?"

"Possibly." Shadow's frown didn't let up. After a moment of pensive silence, he turned to leave. "Monitor him," he said over his shoulder. "That's all I came here to say."

Sonic had no chance to respond before Shadow blasted off, and he had to shield his eyes from the displaced sand. Lowering his hand, Sonic stared in the direction the agent left, replaying their conversation in his mind. Was something wrong with Silver despite nothing happening to prove that?"

He faced said hedgehog; Silver was looking in awe at the trail of dust Shadow had left behind. He seemed fine. Maybe…Maybe Shadow was just wary of something new. So what if Silver's energy was wonky? It could calm down soon.

But still…the fact that Shadow told him about it in the _first_ place didn't sit right in his stomach.

Sonic was ousted out of his thoughts when Silver waved him over. He relaxed his expression as he jogged, not wanting to worry him with this new information.

"Shadow has superspeed _too?_ " was the first question when Sonic closed the distance.

"Heh, yeah." Among other things, but Sonic chose to leave those alone for now. Silver would be introduced to them eventually. Instead, he boasted. "But I totally outclass him in speed. I never lose a race."

The awe transferred onto Sonic. "Whoa…" Silver almost looked like he couldn't believe it. "I guess you were holding back when you were carrying me?"

"Yep! Didn't want you to pass out or anything." Sonic pointed to the seashell Silver was holding. "Did you get another one to float while I was gone?"

Silver marginally frowned. "No…I was a little distracted." That was understandable. "What did you and Shadow talk about anyway?"

Sonic shrugged and waved him off. "We were just talking about the Eggman situation and how to deal with it. He doesn't know that I'm thinkin' about having you help with the plan."

A small smile grew on Silver's face. "Oh, okay." Then, he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Does he have to be so intimidating _all_ the time, though?"

"Yeah, you'll get used to it." Sonic lightly quipped, and Silver muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'Not anytime soon'. He snorted at that before changing the topic. "How about we go back to practicing? An inch is a pretty good first step, but you're a way off from taking on ol' Eggy."

There was fire in Silver's eyes again. "Not for long if I can help it."

"That's what I like to hear!"

They nodded simultaneously, grinning ear to ear.

Sonic hoped that Shadow was worrying for nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surely Shadow's words mean nothing, right? He's simply warning – I mean, informing Sonic of this strange new development. Nothing suspicious about it at all. Nope. It's nothing but smooth sailing from here.
> 
> Heh.


End file.
